Girls und Panzer: The Cold War- A New Era
by Killer midget2
Summary: A new era has dawned upon the Girls und Panzer Universe. With the Sensha-do federation making a new rule set and tournament, will there be the usual winners, or will there be new ones?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1- A New Era

**Prologue**

 **Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Germany**

She moved swiftly, silently, and with a purpose. With the engine producing minimum power, she crept forward through the tree line. It was only a few hundred meters to the defilade, and she had checked the surrounding area for any onlookers. She knew they were behind the ridgeline, but she hoped they would keep to their usual tactics, otherwise this match would be over before it has begun.

"Keep the revs low, they'll hear us otherwise" She said, talking into her handset.

"If I take it any lower we won't _be_ moving! I haven't changed the throttle from what you ordered."

It was hard to keep her cool now, the tension was mounting within all of them. "I can _hear_ the revs climbing! So don't start thi..." It was then she realised. It wasn't the high-pitched whining of her own engine, more like a deep, throbbing roar. She turned. Her face went red, both with anger, and other, more personal feelings. She had failed. She had failed her team, and... the others. It upset her, as after all they had gone through, it would end like this. How could she face up to them again...? She had failed, but she accepted her fate. Looking up, and staring down the camouflaged barrel, she nodded her head with the slightest movement, and waited. The tremendous sound filled the valley, and everyone turned their heads, as the round that would decide the match and the fates of all involved, flew through the air towards its target...

 **Chapter 1**

 **The dawn of a new era**

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

At precisely 7:00am, the alarm clock buzzed its quiet, sensitive wake up call. It was a fine, delicate, exquisite piece. A gift from someone now in England. As always, Darjeeling pressed the off button gently, as not to damage this gift she treasured so much. She had her usual morning shower and got dressed in the school uniform of St. Gloriana: White shirt, black tie, light blue skirt, black tites, and the blue school jumper. After tying her hair in her own unique fashion, she heads towards her office to look at the days schedule. She was expecting the usual routine. Normal classes on a morning, followed by the afternoon doing their chosen selective, in Darjeeling's case, Tankery. She had a lot of work to do with her team. They hadn't yet won a tournament. They had come close, being in the semi-finals before now, but the top prize has remained out of their reach, and it was starting to bother her.

Finally, after a long walk through the carrier, she got to her office. She paused. Next to her schedule were two letters. One was marked from the headmistress, which wasn't all that unusual, but the other was from the Sensha-do federation. That intrigued her. Just then, there was a polite knock at the door. "You may enter".

"Miss Darjeeling?" Darjeeling was surprised to see who it was at the door.

"Rosehip? What can I do for you?"

"The girls asked if you would like to join them in the galley for breakfast?" Rosehip said, slightly subdued, and in awe of being near in person to Darjeeling.

"Tell them I would love to, and thank them for the offer. I shall join you presently" She started to turn around, but stopped halfway, before facing Rosehip again. "And you can run along and get your first breakfast now."  
"HUZZAH!" And with that, Rosehip was of in her usual cheery, energetic self, running down and through the rabbit warren to the canteen to get her first fill of breakfast to gobble down before Darjeeling came, when she would get seconds and eat like the rest of them in an orderly, ladylike manner. Darjeeling decided to open the letters later after breakfast, so tucked the letters away and headed out her office towards the galley.

"Miss Darjeeling" She stopped. This time, Darjeeling wasn't surprised at who it was, and her face turned slightly. "Soooo. When are you actually going to win any tournaments Miss Darjeeling? All the other electives have won at least 3 of their tournaments or competitions. But you haven't won any yet, have you? You might want to start winning or, I don't know, something bad might happen."

The little giggle that came after mocked her, but she knew she was right. The head student baker of the bakery selective, known as 'Miss Bun', partly to take the mick out of Darjeeling, and the fact that she made the best buns in St. Gloriana, a fact she made sure everyone knew, had made it her mission to become Darjeeling's main rival, and has tried to get her to lose her cool, and hopefully see her either give up her position as captain of the

Sensha-do team, or, ultimately, get the tankery selective disbanded, and having Darjeeling work under her, making her repeat all three years of high school. She started walking away again, deciding as always to try and ignore them and not lose her cool, thus playing into her hands.

"Oh, by the way, just think. If you don't win anything, and you end up having to repeat, you'll be lonely forever, because who would want to be with someone who can't win at their chosen, _cough_ , elective, if tankery can even be called that"

That last statement hurt Darjeeling. But she didn't let it show, and carried on walking, hoping she didn't stammer slightly. It was the one thing she kept at the back of her mind and to herself, and didn't tell anyone about. But somehow, she had found out.

The encounter had left Darjeeling feeling down with herself, but tried not to let it show, which she was good at now a days she thought, as she entered the galley to find her close friends. She found them near the counter, so knew who had been in first to get the table. As expected, they were all sat around drinking their favourite tea's, with no sign of an early breakfast, except the huge grin on Rosehip's face.

"Now we are all here, shall we eat?" asked Assam, getting up from her seat, and looking Darjeeling over, noticing something wasn't quite right, but not being able to figure out what it was.

"Yes, of course. Sorry I am a bit late, I just had some paperwork to sort out that I had left last night. Im sure there will still be some nice bits left." She said, glancing over at Rosehip with a slight smile on her face. They all noticed it was forced. Breakfast was the usual big Monday plateful. Bacon, Sausages, Beans, Eggs and all the trimmings of a Full English. Darjeeling waited until last, and didn't get as much as she usually did, blaming it on tiredness. She sat down and ate what she had with the usual elegance St. Gloriana commanded.

She decided to open the letters. Whatever they were, they couldn't possibly make her feel any worse, and she was in good company if they weren't good news. The letter from the headmistress was opened first. Darjeeling was confused. The letter wasn't addressed to anyone specifically, merely saying ' _New students will be arriving from England soon to bolster the selective. Please make room in a spare dormitory for around 20 people_ '. She opened the letter from the Sensha-do federation to see if it would shed any light on the previous letter. She scanned through it to try to find anything important.

' _To all team captains. With the changing times, we have decided to expand Sensha-do…. Therefore, we have decided to split the tournament into several parts…. One of two tournaments will be selected: the classic mode, or one using the new rule set…. Each stage will increase in decade. With the first stage being tanks from the 1950's, and the 5th stage, the final, with tanks from the 1990's... All teams will be given an allowance to buy tanks... Selective is now open to everyone and all schools that allow it will be able to have co-education teams...'_

She thought for a second. _'Post war tanks... by decade... that would mean...'_ She remembered the UK's history of post war tanks, having some of the best and most powerful in the world. Unknown to her, Miss Bun entered the Sensha-do area of the galley and was about to shout a confrontation across the room. A slight smirky smile appeared on Darjeeling's face. She got up and walked to the lectern stand. Her friends were bemused. She stood upright and made a slight, polite cough to clear her throat. She had a beaming smile on her face.

"Ladies. I have an announcement to make." 

* * *

**This is the first Fan Fiction that I have written. It was originally an idea that popped into my head for a friend to write, and I started writing down a few ideas, that eventually turned into the** **prologue. From there I decided to carry on writing. I am new to anime, with Girls und Panzer being my first. I will see how this goes, and decide if I want to either carry on with this till a late stage, or even make a new story chapter after the conclusion of this one. I have a few ideas on where this will go and how it will turn out.**


	2. Chapter 2- Introductions

**Chapter 2**

 **Introductions**

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

" _Stillgestanden!"_

A hundred pairs of boots snapped together, filling the room with a sharp, loud echoing crack.

" _Kommandant_ Erika" She eyed the girls in front of her. _'This still doesn't seem right'_ She thought. _'Me? As_ commander _of Kuromorimine?'_ It still felt weird, even a few months after she had been made captain of Kuromorimine's Sensha-do team after Maho left to study in Germany. _'I wonder where she is and what she is doing now'_ she thought, only to realise that she had side-tracked, and everyone was watching her, waiting to be addressed.

"I have just received a letter from the Sensha-do federation." She didn't like addressing people like this, but she knew she had to keep up the Nishizumi style traditions. "For the next tournament, there will be some changes, and a new set of rules" She read out and explained what the new rule set was.

Stood behind Erika was the headmistress of Kuromorimine, Shiho Nishizumi. She had known this was coming for a while. She also knew that the Nishizumi style would not work. With the emphasis on mobility, not armour, compared to their second world war era tanks, the modern fighting vehicles they would be getting would not stand up to the relentless pounding that came with the strong armour and dead set Nishizumi style. This was one of the main reasons she had put Erika as captain. Erika had her own thoughts on how tankery should be done, especially with the new vehicles, if only she would let it out and let it flare.

"As always, the Nishizumi style will remain strong…..."

"In the old ways of Sensha-do" Shiho cut Erika of. "With this new era, a new style is needed. I will not hold our Sensha-do team back any longer." She turned to look at the new commander. "Erika. You are the captain now. You have ideas. Use them. All decisions are now down to you and you alone. I will not interfere any longer"

There was a stunned silence. Everyone was bewildered by what Shiho had just said. Everyone, that is, except one.

"Right" Shouted Erika. "Let's get to work! Here's what we need to do…."

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

"We don't have a spare dormitory" Said Orange Pekoe in a slightly subdued voice.

"Why do we have to have a separate dormitory anyway? There is still most of ours free, why can't they just stay there? What difference does it make if we stay in the same building. It would help relations between our two schools anyway." Rukuriri pointed out.

But then it clicked in Darjeeling's head. She remembered the line from the federation: " _Selective is now open to everyone and all schools that allow it will_ be able to have co-education _teams..."_ So. That was why a spare dorm was needed. She thought it best not to let on about that yet. "Maybe they come from one of the military training schools, so they won't be able to mix with us as much, except during practice and matches." She said, hoping they wouldn't be able to see through the lie. "Maybe we can put them up on camp beds in the hanger with our tanks. There is plenty of room as it is quite warm in there after we've had the engines running all day."

"I suppose that's fair enough" Replied Assam, thinking there was something more to it than that, but dismissed the thought for now, as there was a more important question to ask. "So, with that out the way. Have you actually thought about what tanks we could use?"

"As a matter of fact, I have" Smirked Darjeeling, who had been waiting for this question to come up. "It has come to be expected of us to use slow, yet heavily armoured tanks, with the exception of the Crusaders of course." This drew a smile from Rosehip. "And I suspect most people will be expecting us to follow the same doctrine we have always used. This is not the case, however. It is true that we will still be using some heavy tanks, such as, in the first round, the Conqueror. It is a heavy tank, weighing 64 tons. It has good frontal armour, and strong turret armour. Thicker than even that of the Jagdtiger. Its main selling point, however, is its gun. No longer shall we be using light AT cannons or medium velocity guns. The Conqueror uses the 120mm L1A1, and fires SABOT rounds and HESH. The latter of which will be almost exclusively used by us. We will only use one or two of these tanks however, mainly as our tank killers. We will mostly be using the Centurion, and not the Mk.1 we have seen Alice from Selection University using. We will be using the Mk.3 variant. This has a more powerful Meteor engine and is armed with the 20Pdr anti-tank gun housed in a new turret. This will give us the mobility and firepower we need for all kinds of combat from general assaults, to flank attacks and defensive positions. I am sure also, that we will be able to have one of the up gunned Centurions with the 105mm L7 cannon, giving us even more firepower, close to even that of the Conqueror, but I will have to see if we can use that one however, as it is near the deadline. We might also have one or two surprises that I am looking into, but we will have to wait for them." Assam just smirked.

"Errrmmm… Miss Darjeeling?" Asked Rosehip, rather quietly and in a subdued way. "How many of these tanks are fast?"

Darjeeling replied, giggling slightly "Well, they are all faster than the Matilda's and Churchill we currently use, but they don't have the speed of your Crusaders, especially after you have been at them"

"Oh. I see. Im sure I can get used to being slower than usual" Rosehip was deeply saddened. All she wanted to do was speed. She was let of the hook during the Ooarai vs Selection University match and had almost lost her tank at least twice. She was almost close to tears thinking about losing her speed.

"Oh, I've just remembered Rosehip. We always need a scout to tell us what our opponents are doing. And im sure the Centurion wont be quick or small enough for that job. There was one vehicle I forgot to mention." Rosehip looked up at Darjeeling, still wet eyed. "Remember a while ago you said how when you were old enough, you would like to drive a car really fast around the training grounds?"

"Y…Yes..." Rosehip nodded.

"Well, although technically it isn't a tank, there is still a vehicle left over, and it is allowed by the federation, I have checked. It is called the Saladin. It is an armoured car with 6 wheels, has a low velocity 76mm gun firing HESH ammunition, and most importantly…"

Rosehip looked upwards, with a slight teary-eyed smile on her face.

"It is fast, very fast. Faster than even your Crusader."  
With that, Rosehip jumped up, with a huge grinning smile on her face, and wrapped herself around Darjeeling. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!"

"Errmm… Rosehip" Orange Pekoe said lightly. "Remember what we told you about saying 'Thank You' multiple times? And also jumping up on people, especially Miss Darjeeling?"

But Rosehip wasn't listening. All she could think about was racing around in her new vehicle at its limit. Darjeeling was just laughing. "The times are changing now for everyone now. Sometimes we have to move away from what we know and step into the unknown. Except, for us, it isn't exactly all the unknown." She said, finally trying to peel Rosehip of. After that succeeded, and a grinning Rosehip was stood there at her feet with Assam, Orange Pekoe and Rukuriri standing round behind. "I will go through the other tanks we can and will be using in the first match during tomorrow's class. As for tactics, well, we already have someone who is used to this new style of tankery." Darjeeling looked down. "Right Rosehip?"

Rosehip jumped slightly, and looked up startled at Darjeeling. "H…Hai!?"

 **USS** _ **George Washington**_

"WHOOOO-HOOOO!" Shouted an excited Kay, commander of the Saunders University High School Sensha-do team. "Now we can _really_ rock this show". She turned to one of her vice-captain's. "Hey, Alisa. Maybe Takeshi will notice you in a bigger tank eh?" Kay said laughing. Alisa's eye's filled with tears again. The other vice-captain, Naomi, just smiled.

"What tanks are we going to use then?" Naomi asked inquisitively. "We can't use Sherman's still or we would just lose in the first match."

"You still want a big, hard hitting gun don't you?" asked Kay. This got a nod from Naomi. "Well, how about a heavy tank for you then. There is the M103 with its 120mm gun. That'll suit you nicely, being able to hit targets from long range. And for the rest of us…... I think we will all use M48 Patton's. No sense in using any of the older variants when we can afford so many of the newer ones. We might buy some M47's and M46's anyway, just to have around. Alisa, go to the console room and order us some now. Make sure you get the ones that need the least maintenance." Alisa walked of to the next room, still whimpering and teary eyed.

Naomi looked at Kay. "Do you think we should tell her?"

"What, that he has ran of to the US with her elementary school bully?" Kay replied matter of factly.

"No, that we are becoming a co-ed school" Naomi replied, smirking.

"WHHAAATTTT!? COMMANDER!"

"She heard us?" Kay said, shocked and surprised, wincing.

"You better come see this commander!"

Kay and Naomi walked briskly into the next room where Alisa was sat shocked, staring at the computer screen. "What is it?" they asked, almost as one.

"The tanks you wanted me to order…. They are almost all gone…." Alisa stammered.

"WHAT!? WHY!?"

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

"They will be delivered within the next week commander. Three Kampfpanzer M48A2C's and fifteen mKPz M47 G's" Said Koume, the new Vice Commander

"Excellent. As soon as they arrive, we will start training on them. For the first week, we be extending the elective slot from the afternoon, to half the morning as well. After the first week, normal classes will again be taken during late morning before lunch." Replied Erika with her usual smirking look.

"It seems there has been a lot of them sold, but seen as there is still some left, I don't think it is Saunders who has bought them. Who else would be using the early Patton's?"

"Anzio"

 _ **Aquila**_

"DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE!"

Anchovy posed and swatted her riding crop around in delight on top of Anzio's newest tank, an M47 Patton, with two more behind it, along with four M46 Patton's and three M26 Perishing's, all fanned in two rows in a semi-circle facing inwards at Anchovy's M47. She swiped her crop across her body at arm's length to quieten everyone, for now, so she could continue speaking. "With the grant from the Sensha-do federation, we have had the ability to buy these new tanks and take part in the new tournament rule sets. We are now on a level playing field with Saunders and Kuromorimine! We shall show them who is superior! Anzio is not weak! WE ARE STRONG!"

"DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE! DUCE!"

 _ **Kiev**_

"NONNA! KLARA! SPEAK JAPANESE!" Shouted Katyusha, angrily. "Tell me what you are on about"

 _"Should we?"_ asked Klara, still speaking in Russian.

 _"No, not yet, I shall answer her"_ replied Nonna.

"Well? Have you decided yet?" Smirked Katyusha.

Nonna replied in her normal, easy to understand voice "We were just saying how with this new ruleset, you would be the best commander in the tournament, as you already are of course, except this time we will be in our element using all these new and superior tanks. We will win flawlessly in all our tournaments, and your leadership and tactics will not fail us comrade Katyusha."

Katyusha smirked. "I thought it might be that. Because you never have any negative thoughts, do you?" She said, looking at Klara.

" _Nyet_ Comrade Katyusha"

"Good. I was just thinking. Who would be our biggest rival?" Katyusha asked the other two.

Nonna spoke up first. "Would it not be Kuromorimine still? Erika..."

"IS NOTHING!" Katyusha interrupted, shouting, before carrying on in a more normal tone. "She cannot do anything without her beloved Maho, and Shiho won't let her anyway, not that she has any imagination herself to start with. Anzio is going to be a walkover as usual, St. Gloriana are going to be too rigid again. Chi-Ha-Tan will just charge and lose as always. So that leaves Saunders. I think Kay would be in her element with her new tanks. She is always going on about them." Katyusha finished off.

"But surely that works to our advantage, seen as we will know about her tactics and what tanks they will be use?" Inquired Nonna.

"I was just about to say that!" said an annoyed Katyusha, because she hadn't thought of it that way. She calmed down a bit. "Anyway, what would you think about us becoming a co-ed school?"

Nonna kept her face impassive, but inside, she was delighted by the idea. Maybe she could find someone to be with finally, someone who wasnt Katyusha who demanded undevoted loyalty at all times, which she obliged to just to keep her malleable. She thought Klara would be the same.

"NONNA!" Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course comrade Katyusha. I think any idea you come up with is a brilliant idea."

Katyusha smirked. "COME IN HERE!" She shouted.

The large, decorated wooden double doors opened quickly, and in walked a young man in the uniform of the old NKVD. "Comrade Alexander Ivanovich Berkyin reporting for duty as ordered comrade commander Katyusha!" Balled Berkyin, a young man of average height, blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Comrade Berkyin has brought some of the pupils from a boy's school in Moscow. They have practiced on all tanks that the Soviet Union and Russia have fielded, and even some that haven't. We will now have an even greater advantage over our rivals. His schools knowledge on modern tanks will prove invaluable to us, among other, talents, shall we say" Katyusha said, looking at his NKVD uniform. "Isn't that right Berkyin?"

" _Da_ comrade Katyusha! I will serve you and the school in any capacity I can to the best of my ability." He replied formally.

He didn't notice the stares from his left, especially from Klara.

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

"Ladies, please calm down and be quiet." Darjeeling said, getting more and more frustrated. "Errmm... please can you just be quiet so we can get on? Please?" She sighed. Everyone in the classroom was talking to each other, making it hard for anyone to hear each other, thus making them all talk louder and louder.

"QUUUIIIEEEETTTT!" The room went silent. Rosehip sat back down and smiled at Darjeeling. "Sorry Miss Darjeeling. Forgive my rudeness."

She blushed slightly, knowing that she should have been able to control everyone. "Right. Now you are all here and listening, I will start. I know you are all wondering who and when our new arrivals from the UK are coming. I know there has been a lot of rumours, howev..." There was a slight murmur that went through the room, that was slowly increasing in volume. "Before you all start talking amongst yourselves again" Darjeeling said in a slightly raised voice this time, before carrying on mostly as normal. "I am about to tell you. St. Gloriana Girls College is now changing, temporarily for now. We are trialling becoming a co-education school. The students coming from the UK are from an all-boys school. They have been using all types of tanks, and have even used the most modern tanks the UK has. Some of which they will be bringing with them." Everyone in the room was smiling and thinking about what this could bring. Darjeeling had been spoken to by the headmistress about this, and had discussed what was the inevitable. She had a set of rules from the headmistress in her hands. She didn't look at them as she continued. "However. There will be no, I say again, no relationships, or anything of the sort between the schools. Any student caught breaking this rule will be severely punished, and her opposite number will be expelled from this ship immediately." She had decided to deliver her big blow straight, and not covering it in sweetness as she usually did. "I will now hand you over to Assam who will tell you about the tanks we shall be using."

Assam got up and cleared her throat, more composed than everyone else. She had been right yesterday, there was more to it when they were looking at spare dormitories. "Thank you. I will get straight to it. For the first round, we will be using tanks from the 1950's. Our line up will be as follows. Our scout will be the Alvis Saladin commanded by Rosehip. Heavy tanks will be two Conqueror Mk.2's. These will be our long range tank killers and heavy assault tanks. Our mainstay will be the Centurion Mk.3, of which we will have four split into two platoons, each with a command tank. The command tanks will be the Centurion Mk.7, as we can just about get away with it in the time frame, and a Centurion Mk.5/2, as that is also just within the time frame. These are both armed with the 105mm L7 gun and also have more armour. This gives us more firepower and armour, increasing the effectiveness of each platoon slightly, and can act as a 'heavy' tank if the situation calls for it, though at the risk of losing the tank."

"But that is only 9 tanks. The first stage has a limit of 10. Are we only taking 9 tanks with us?" Asked Orange Pekoe.

"Ah, yes, about that. We are still asking about this. We have a choice of two. One is defiantly allowed, the other we are asking the federation about. The one we can defiantly use is the Conway heavy tank destroyer. It is armed with the same 120mm gun as on the Conqueror, but is on a Centurion chassis with a new lightly armoured turret. This will work alongside both platoons to provide fire support where needed. The other choice is similar, but will not be used in the same role. It is the FV4005. It is armed with a 183mm (7.2") anti tank gun. If we are allowed this, it will be used as a stand of tank destroyer, as there is nothing that can withstand its gun. That is our line up for the first round. Any questions?"

"Yes." Replied someone from the back of the room. "Miss Darjeeling, when will the new students be arriving? You didn't tell us earlier."

Darjeeling stood up and sighed slightly before replying.

"Tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3- New Arrivals

**Chapter 3**

 **New Arrivals**

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

 _'Neunundneunzig Luftballons, Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont, Hielt man für Ufos au_...'

"Erika?"

"H..hai?" Erika said, spinning round and turning of her music. "I.. is there something you wanted?"

Koume stood in the doorway to what was now Erika's office. "Its just that in a few hours, the Bundeswehr students will be here to help us around our new tanks."

"Oh, yes, of course. I forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me. I shall be there shortly to run through some things with everyone before they arrive."

"Shall I gather everyone for you then?"

"Yes, please do. I shall be down in 10 minutes." With that, Koume took her dismissal and left Erika, shutting the door behind her.

To say she was feeling a bit red cheeked after that wouldn't have been a lie. It was not often that people saw the other side of Erika, the more relaxed, hair let lose girl that she always was inside and was trying to let out now, but she was still holding herself back, thinking too much like the Nishizumi style dictated. She decided to check the post and see if there was anything important. She flicked through the first few, seeing they were nothing important. A corner of a slightly coloured envelope caught her eye near the bottom of the pile. She pulled it out and noticed it was addressed to Maho, which was strange, because she had left for Germany over 4 months ago now.

She turned it over to see if there was a return address, and three letters dropped out. Three letters? She picked them up to put them back into the envelope. They never got there. Her curiosity took over and unfolded one of the letters. It was from Maho, which was strange, as the envelope was addressed to Maho. It was to Miho. _Miho_. The girl she resented so much. But why? Why did she loathe her so much? Was this her inner self coming out again? She decided to leave the thought and look at the others. Unfolding them, she saw what must have been the original letter from Miho to Maho, written on paper the same colour as the envelope. So the third one must have been from either Maho or Miho sending a second letter. What other alternative could there be? Erika wished she had never asked that question.

 _'Dear Miho, I know I have not contacted you in a long time, but I feel now that the time is right'_. Her heart had felt like it had stopped. If she thought the person who was writing this was a shock, then what she saw next at the end of the letter almost did stop her heart. _'It is because of this that I have decided to invite you back to re-join Kuromorimine, as either Commander, Vice-Commander, or as an adviser. As I mentioned earlier, I realised that the Nishiz..,_ my _Nishizumi style is outdated and outclassed_ '. It was then she realised. Shih.., Headmistress Nishizumi, couldn't face up to it on her own. She must have seen Maho's letter, and decided to write one herself, expressing her true inner feelings of the last days of the 'old' Kuromorimine. But after the match with Selection University, and with Maho's departure to Germany, she couldn't face up to it on her own anymore. But what to do now? She couldn't possibly hide the fact she had seen these letters. She thought, and it was then that her feelings came back. She picked up a piece of paper that was sticking out of a half-opened envelope and started writing. It was a good few hours later when she finally finished writing. The question of what paper she had used to write on seemed really important now, so she picked up the empty envelope and looked for a name. There wasn't one. The letter was from Germany, so she thought that it was another university asking for her to join when she left Kuromorimine. She dropped it back on the desk and picked up the sealed envelope with letters to Miho: Maho's reply, Shiho's letter, and her own. The latter held an offer similar to Shiho's, but was slightly changed. She then headed downstairs after locking the door behind her, and went to go find Koume.

* * *

Koume had thought her commander might be late, so she had found what Erika was going to talk about on a spare computer and started going through it with the rest of the Sensha-do team. "Mobility is key. Always keep moving unless you are in a defensive position."

"But just remember that we do not have stabilised guns in this first round, so shooting on the move will be tricky, even at low speeds." Erika continued, finally getting out of her office, and standing just behind everyone. "However, I don't think that anyone else will have stabilisers either, so on that account, we are on a level playing field.

Koume, what have you gone through so far?" Asked Erika, fired up. Koume didn't reply however, she was just staring behind Erika at something. She never got the chance to answer however, as someone spoke up instead.

"Erika?"

She span round quickly, her face dropping.

"H...Hans!?" Everyone stared at Erika. She had gone as red as a beetroot. Even redder if that was possible. "Is... is that really you Hans?"

" _Ja_ , it is. So you still remember me then? I thought you would have forgotten about me by now. Its been, what, five or six years?" Murmurs were starting to go through the gathered girls. _'The commander knows someone?_ ' _'Erika knows a man?_ ' _'I wonder if..._ '

"Hans, I think we should go to my office to talk over some things. Koume, please take over again for 10 minutes, or just dismiss everyone for today. We will go over everything tomorrow" With that, Erika and Hans walked off towards the office.

"Ok girls. That seems to be it for today. We will pick up from where we left of tomorrow. Dismissed!" With that, all the girls left, and all were wondering. Does Erika have a boyfriend?

* * *

"What are you doing here Hans?" Asked Erika in her office, still flustered.

"Can't you tell?" He asked, gesturing to his Flecktarn uniform. "Didn't you get my letter? I am here to show you around your new tanks. The Bundeswehr selected my cadet unit to come here and teach you. I joined just after we last met and have been in ever since. I finish this year, then I am transferring to the Bundeswehr properly, not just being in the cadets. I have longed to meet you again, ever since I had heard you were here, my old feelings came back stronger than ever."

There was a brief pause. Erika was full of all kinds of different emotions and feelings. They all came out at once. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK IN HERE AND THINK EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT AGAIN?" Shouted Erika, even more flustered and frustrated than before. The reply stunned her.

"Yes Erika, I do. I sent you a letter saying that I had been ordered here by my commanding officer after being requested by your headmistress. I haven't seen you since we got dragged away from each other in the courtyard that time. And yes, I think I do know what you were going to say, it wasn't co-incidental as your friends said was it?" He thought it wasn't too far.

"NOW WHA..." Erika began, but never got to finish.

"I would have said yes." Hans said quietly. "And... now..." It was a shot in the dark, but he wanted to try. There was a minute of silence.

"Would... would you still say yes?" Erika asked, very quietly, her eyes red.

" _Sigh_... Yes Erika... yes I would. I haven't lost any of the feelings I had for you back then, and I haven't forgotten about you. There isn't much else I do think about" He replied, quietly, but confidently.

It was too quick for him. Erika burst into tears and ran to embrace him. "I've been thinking about you ever since that last moment we left when I was going to ask you." She babbled, still crying her eyes out, but with happiness. "I've changed since then. I've tried to hide everything inside and put a hard skin on the outside. I had given up just before you came, and decided to let my old self come out, all of it. But when I saw you I was angry and I just... I just..."

"I know, I know. But now you don't have to do it alone. I'll stick by the old rules and do whatever you want or need." They stood there embracing each other for a long time.

* * *

Koume turned around away from the door and said quietly to the empty stair top "You were all dismissed. Go and study at home what we discussed and what was given out to you earlier."

"Koume? Why are you dismissing the girls, especially early? Where is Erika?"

"Ermm... Headmistress Nishizumi. Erika is... err... busy... in her office. We had nothing left for the girls to study here, so we sent them home to study."

"Oh, ok. I shall just be a second then and try not to disturb her. I just need to get a letter I left in there by mistake the other day when I was here."

"Its already been sent. Erika did it earlier. I saw her hand it to the messenger. She is just going over some.. training schedules for tomorrow." Replied Koume quickly.

"Well, that turned out better than expected then." She sighed a sigh of releif. "In the meantime, where is that new cadet? Hans, that's his name. Where is he? I forgot to tell him something earlier."

Koume replied awkwardly. "Well...you see.. the thi.. he is in there too." Faint sobs could be heard from the office. She was coming back round at least from the waterfall of tears she was having earlier.

"Ah. I understand" replied Shiho, wondering how long it had taken for Erika to finally come out of her shell.

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

They stood there and watched it approach. The transport ship neatly docked underneath one of the carrier's port side cranes. "Well, they're here now. Let's get this over and done with." Said Darjeeling, still worried about what might happen. They all left the side of the ship and headed to rear of the two elevators in the center of the carrier. The wait was a long one. It took time to unload all the tanks and equipment from one ship to another, but once it was all unloaded, the elevator started its accent upwards. Darjeeling's command tank crew, and unit commanders, Rosehip and Rukuriri, paraded out in front of the rest of the Sensha-do team.

The tanks appeared first. A Centurion Mk.5/2 in the center, surrounded by a pair of Conqueror's, with Mk.3 Centurions beside them bunched up, with the Saladin and Centurion Mk.7 on the outsides of the line. Behind them all sat a big looking box with a long, fat barrel protruding out. The girls were visibly impressed by the sheer size of the tanks, much bigger than their usual tanks. The crews came up next. All dressed in the grey British tankers overalls, black boots and black beret and Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) cap badge. When the elevator stopped, Darjeeling walked forward to greet them.

"Good Morning Gentlemen. I am Darjeeling, commander of St. Gloriana's Sensha-do team. Who is the commander of your school?" She asked politely. There was a few seconds of silence, then a loud voice sounded from one end of the line.

"Well, we don't actually have one as such ma'am"

"Don't have one? But how do you put anything into practice? Surely you can't just work together straight away? Someone has to have a bit of authority surely?" Inquired Darjeeling, slightly confused.

"Ah, well, you see, we keep having a 'fink of who we would want as commander, but we can never decide, so we just do without or use someone from outside to act as commander, but then they replace one of our usual commanders."

Darjeeling was slightly annoyed with the attitude of the person speaking. "What is your name?"

"Marsh. Jeremy Marsh ma'am. At your service and disposal as always."

She wondered if everyone else was similar to Marsh. Boisterous and hiding insubordination behind fake manners. She didnt want to take any chances, so treat them all the same.

"Right. For the meantime, all of you are to go with Assam and she will show you where you will be sleeping. In half an hour, I want all tank commanders to report to the recovery yard. In an hours' time, I want all crews and tanks ready to move out on the hard ground in front of the garages. Now, please follow Assam to your sleeping area." And with that, they all made a sharp salute and walked towards and followed Assam who was waving them all over. They had been told about the headmistresses' rules, but also had a different communication later on, saying something completely different, but still from official St. Gloriana communication channels, which confused them all. One of the new arrivals seemed to be paying a more attention to Assam than where he was going, and tripped over several times and almost walked into a lamp post once, only to be guided by his classmates and jidding for it.

Assam and the rest of the command tank crew led everyone to the garage. There was quite a few confused looks when they stopped outside the garages.

"Errrmmm... these look like garages, not a dormitory. We aren't supposed to be ready for another 50 or so minutes yet." Was the common thing being said.

"Well, unfortunately, there wasn't actually a spare dormitory for you to sleep in, so we just have to put you up in here for now. After an afternoon of running the tanks around, it is quite hot in here, so you shouldn't have trouble keeping warm. We have also put some foot lockers for you to use to store your personal possessions in. These were thanks to our carpentry class. Oh, yes, that's a point. Anything you need, you can ask the relevant department. So if you need, say, a shelf making, you can go to the carpentry class and they will make you one, for a small cost of course, otherwise they would just be losing money. There is one for almost everything, so you should have almost no problem getting anything you want. Oh, but you might have to, for the time being at least, be escorted around by someone, but we will sort that out later. I think that is everything. So... make yourselves at home." There was a slight grumble from a lot of the new arrivals. A few shouted out about them not wanting to sleep on camp beds in the garages, then Assam had a thought of how to put an end to it. She stopped and turned around. "Oh, by the way" Everyone stopped and looked at her. "These are the camp beds us girls use to sleep on when we go away, so please don't damage them or dirty them with crumbs or tea stains." Everyone stared at her for a second after she turned back and carried on walking away. Then there was a big rush to the camp beds with the usual sayings. _'Sleeping on the same bed as a girl has done is close enough for me_ ' or _'I hope I've got so and so's bed'_. Someone shouted out to the retreating girls "Oh, by the way. Can we start bringing our vehicles around now?"

Assam replied "Of course, but just remember that in about 45 minutes time, they, and you, need to be ready for Commander Darjeeling, so you had better do it quick." And with that, four people started to jog back to the elevator, soon followed by the rest once they had each found a bed.

"So then lads" Marsh said rather loudly. "All tank commanders are to report to their CO then eh? I 'fink she is a real looker don't you?"

"Oh lay off it Marsh. You've been saying things like that since we left England. Have you ever thought that they cant leave their carrier, we cant join it, and they might not even like you, so they wont hook up with you? Just lay of it and act like any normal person would. Or in your case, at least just try to be respectable."

"Oh you lot are boring aren't you." Marsh said angrily. "Guess I'll go and start heading for the recovery yard then hadn't I?" And with that, he walked of.

"Glad 'e's gone. God if 'e gets to be the next commander, I'm going to find the nearest girl and do something I shouldn't to get kicked out."

"I'm with you on that one mate."

"Well, I suppose we had better get moving actually. What if he gets there before us and we were late? Hopefully there is some kind of shortcut somewhere."

"I would hate to dampen down you spirits gentlemen, but we don't even know where the recovery yard is."

"Oh bugger, your right. Well, let's go start looking then." With that, the other tank commanders went off on their way to find the recovery yard.

After about 5 minutes of walking, they hadn't found anywhere, or any signposts for the recovery yard. They heard a vehicle coming towards them, so they got off the road and stood on the embankment to let it pass. When it got closer, they realised it was one of the heavy wrecking vehicles used to recover knocked out tanks, so one of them decided to ask. "Hey, ladies, could you stop a second please?" One shouted above the noise of the engine. The truck stopped. "I say miss, would you be going to the recovery yard?"

"And what if I am?" She smiled.

"Well... could we be rather cheeky miss and ask for a lift? You see, we are supposed to go there, but we were never told where it was."

All the girls in the truck smiled. "Well. I don't see why not. Go on then, hop on."

And with that, they did. The journey wasn't long after that, and they arrived with just enough time to spare. Darjeeling looked happy and commented on how they made it on time. Her face changed when Marsh turned up. 15 minutes late.

"Where have you been?" She asked angrily.

"Well I've been coming here as you said, but if you don't tell us where we are going, how can we get here on time?"

"Because it was your first test. Everyone else made it, and they set of after you did they not?" Darjeeling was in a foul mood now. This wasn't going to be easy for anyone. "Right. Now that one of you has annoyed me, you will all forfeit for it. This will be a lesson to you all. If one commander fouls up, the rest will be affected. This applies both on and off the battlefield. So, you will now all run back to the garages. Anyone who is late will force everyone to do another run tomorrow morning, except this time, it will be a long one. You have 5 minutes. The garages are that way." She pointed in the direction they were to run. No one hesitated. They either started running by themselves or were given a jump start by the others if they were too slow, or refused. Darjeeling got in her Dingo and was driven back to the garages by her driver.

They made it just on time. Some on their own or in groups, and some dragging and pushing others. They all stood in a line, mostly out of breath from the cross-country sprint. "So. That was a nice bit of fresh air wasn't it?" Darjeeling said, the sarcasm clear in her voice and a smirk on her face. "I am impressed however, you all made it on time and together. You have earned yourselves a sit down. Now, everyone to your tanks! Your comms should already be set up if your crews have done their jobs properly."

"But you said..."

"That you have earned a sit down. But of course, I wouldn't lie to you. As commanders, you have a seat in your tank which you can sit down on."

They got in their tanks quickly and efficiently she saw. This was good. They all seemed to be adept with their tanks and know their way around them. She switched to the radio that was in her Dingo scout car. "Listen up please. In the training area are some of my girls in their new tanks. I want you to go up against them to see what you are like. You will see the battle start signal soon. It is the white flares that get fired into the sky. The starting area is along that track and in a small clearing. And the final thing. Good luck. Some of you need it" And with that, Darjeeling was driven away towards the practice area.

"Right. So. What do we do now?"

"Do what we usually do?"

"Depends if they know what we do. 'ave they done research on us?"

As they were discussing what they would do, three white flares shot into the sky.

"Oh bugger. They've started already"

"Well that's not bloody sporting of them is it? We should just sit here and make them start again" said Marsh.

"What, and just let them start shooting us? Them shells might not do anything against tanks, but they will certainly bloody hurt us you know."

"Right. Let's just mount up and get out there." Said a small, thin commander of the Centurion Mk. 5/2. "If we sit around 'ere, we'll be sitting ducks, and 'ow will that look? Doing something is better than doing nothing."

"Yea, your right there. Come on, let's get moving." Agreed an averaged sized, well-built commander, with the FV4005 under his command.

"If you can get your lump of steel moving that is" replied another, tall and of medium build, and in command of one of the Centurion Mk.3's."

"Oh shut up. They will be scared stiff of this thing when they see it."

"Or just take it out. Although a tank is a bit overkill for that."

"Aye, but just remember, my gun is over twice as big as yours, and if they are worried about that, then just think of what they will think of this."

The friendly rivalry didn't stop them mounting their tanks at the same time. Without an order being given, all the tanks engines fired up almost at once. The whining growl of the Rolls Royce Meteor engines reverberated around the garage area.

"I suggest we head to the 'igh ground on the right quickly, climb that and attack from there and set the Conqueror up in a position where it can cover us."

"Concur."

"Agreed."

"Agreed. I'll take the FV round the left flank to make sure they don't try anything from that side and 'opefully find their Conqueror seen as that will be a pain for us to take out unless it's out in the open."

"Roger. Let's get moving then." The tanks lurched of, the Mk.5/2 and 4 Mk.3 Centurions, Conqueror and FV4005. They all set of to their hastily planned positions. Their tanks were almost mirrored by St. Gloriana, having 4 Mk.3 Centurions, a Mk.7 Centurion, Conqueror and the Saladin. They drove of to the positions they had just agreed on.

The Centurions were halfway up the ridge when the first call came over the radio from the FV4005 commander. "Contact! Centurion 800 meters, my position. Mk.3. Should I fire?"

"Wait one. We are almost at the top. Wait. I can just see. Driver halt!"

The tank lurched to a stop almost instantly. "Right. 3 Centurions, all Mk.3's. They are 'eading towards the Conqueror. Ready up! You won't get a better shot than this."

"Righty O. Ready when everyone else is."

"Maybe move the Mk.5 round the side a bit in case they turn that way or bring the 'eavy up. That has both flanks covered then by an 'ard 'itter and the center covered by armour and firepower."

"Good point. Moving now. All tanks ready?"

"Roger"

"Yep"

"Ready"

"Tank ready"

"Right. Let them 'ave it. FV, _FIRE_!"

"Round outbound!" The sound crashed through the entire area, then echoed, only being beaten by the sound of the shell's explosion.

It hit the base of the turret on the rear most Centurion. It flipped over with the force of the explosion. It had been expected, but not from that direction. A turret slowly turned. It didn't go un-noticed.

"CONTACT! 100m BEHIND THE KNOCKED-OUT CENT! CAMOUFLAGED TANK! FV, REVERSE REVERSE!"

"Got it! FIRE!" The Conqueror was already aimed in almost the right direction. It fired its gun, but just a fraction too late. The 20Pdr fired, its round flying towards the FV4005. It hit the upper plate at the retreating FV at a sharp angle and ricocheted upwards, hitting the turret ring and glancing of once again.

"Tank hit! Assessing damage!" The FV4005 commander said loudly, coughing as he did so.

"Report back ASAP."

"Confirming target hit. Scratch one Centurion. Engaging others. Keep an eye out for their other three tanks."

A short while later, the damage had been assessed. "Damage report. Turret drive damaged. Unable to traverse. Out of action for a while."

"Roger. Ev... what the hell was that?"

"Tank knocked out. Sorry. Never stood a chance." A shaken commander answered.

"Conqueror, next ridge line to the right!"

"Centurions, reverse. Mk.3's, break left, I'll go right and flank round this side."

"Watch right. You might get a shot at something as we go." Said one of the Mk.3 commanders. With the FV4005 out, and a Centurion knocked out completely while the rest moving away, it didn't look good, but the odds were about even, but that was about to change. The three remaining Centurions reached the bottom of the ridge line and reached a clearing in a thick row of tree's and bushes. "Traverse right! Fire on sight. Don't stop moving." The two remaining St. Gloriana Mk.3's made a fatal mistake. Instead of continuing to drive and fire, they stopped to aim, not realising the Centurion was equipped with a gun stabiliser. One got a shot off, but it was avoided by the advancing Centurions. The return fire couldn't possibly miss a stationary target less than 500m away. The white flags popped up within seconds of each other. Their Conqueror avenged them however, knocking out Marsh's Centurion. "Driver. Start weaving to try and make it 'arder for them to 'it us." The other Centurion followed suit, but it was too little too late. The conqueror fired again and took it out, leaving only the one Mk.3 left, the Mk.5/2 flanking round from the ridge line, Conqueror still hull down where it started and the damaged FV4005 remaining. "What we going to do now? There is still their Mk.7 Cent and Saladin that we 'aven't found yet."

"Keep your eye's peeled. I've almost worked my way around the Conqueror, 'opefully we should see it soon. Gunner, get ready for a snapshot, we don't know what's around 'ere."

A sudden cry came over the radio. "Centurion down! We've been 'it? Where did that co... you cheeky little bugger. Saladin spotted, my position. Dam she's quick in that thing."

"Conqueror, make sure you can cover the FV, or FV, go to the Conqueror if you can still drive. Wait. Found their Conqueror dead ahead, HALT! Gunner, stick a round into their nice fat side if you please." The gun barked, and the spinning shot went right where the gunner aimed it. "Right, driver, get us out of here NOW!"

"Roger. Moving." The Centurion lurched off and drove at full speed in random directions, slowing down rapidly occasionally to throw of any gunner who might be aiming at them.

"Linked up with the FV. They are still working on it. Their radio has packed in too, hence the lack of communication."

"Keep an eye out for both their tanks, however I think your main problem is the Saladin. I have an idea where their Mk.7 will be. I'm 'eading there now"

"Wilco. Gunner, what we got loaded?"

"SABOT."

"Load HESH, we can kill both then, and the Saladin won't need a direct hit, just a near miss will hopefully flip it."

"Dust cloud front right, coming closer to us." Said the driver of the conqueror.

"Well spotted driver, traverse right. Gunner, taking control, aim at this spot, it's the only place where they can get through to here, be ready on the trigger, loader, have another round ready near the breech just in case, driver, engage reverse and be ready to turn either way in case she decides to make a sprint round, wait for my order though. She shouldn't be able to kill us from the front, so we should be fine." He got an affirmative from each crew member, and then they waited.

* * *

Rosehip was in her element. She had already taken out a Centurion without them even knowing she was there and had been guiding her team mates around the battlefield. _'Almost being a commander_ ' she thought. Maybe Darjeeling was right. Maybe she was the best at this new tank business. She was invincible. There was no way she could be stopped. One drift round this hedgerow, allow the gunner to aim, and they would claim a heavy tank, and then go on to kill that really big gun thing. There was only one thing for it now. "CHARGE!" Her driver put her foot to the floor.

She drifted round the corner and came to a skidding halt, her gun already traversed in the right direction, looking straight at the Conqueror. "UTE!" Her gun fired, recoiling lightly, and the shell impacted on the front of the hull. The smoke cleared, she was grinning broadly, she had done it.

But there was something strange. The smoke cleared away, and the white flag wasn't there. She grimaced, looking down the barrel of the Conqueror, and knew what was coming.

"Sorry lass. Good try. Gunner, fire please." The 120mm HESH round hit the Saladin square on the front and span and rolled the armoured car for about 10 meters. "Rosehip is taken care of. Just the Mk.7 left."

* * *

"They are good aren't they?" Inquired Darjeeling. "Maybe a bit too good. They set of after the match had started, and formulated a plan in that short amount of time. There is three of their commanders that are a cut above the rest and dont hesitate to put idea's and plans forward, good ones at that."

"One of their Centurion Mk.3 commanders is good. He is a bit clumsy though. He tripped over a couple of times earlier, and almost walked into a lamp post." Said Assam.

"Hehe. I don't think that was because he was clumsy. He seemed to be focusing on where you were going." chuckled Orange Pekoe.

"What do you mean?... oh.. you don't thi..."

"Of course not." Darjeeling snapped. "They were sent the rules as well you know. "Darjeeling said, fairly angry. They were talking against the rules she had given them, and it still hurt a bit, especially after her confrontation a while ago with the head of the Bakery class.

"It doesn't seem to be going well for us does it?" Orange Pekoe said quietly after a moment of awkward silence.

"No. I think we need to try and go around the flank, but not too much, through the wooded area there and out into the bocage like you said, get to that defilade and try to pick them of from there." Assam remarked.

"Driver, get us there. You know where to find it. It's about 5 minutes from here." The journey was tense, quiet and uneventful.

"We don't have anyone left do we? There is only us left isn't there?" Asked Orange Pekoe.

Darjeeling answered her. "Yes... It looks like we can't even win a match against a team without a commander. The defilade is just ahead. Be ready for long range gunnery."

"Well, just think, from here, we ca..." Assam started, but was cut off by a gasp from Darjeeling. "What's wrong?" She asked with genuine worry. "Darjeeling?"

She wasn't listening, just staring to her left out the hatch, intending to spot targets. She was staring at the dark green mass of a Centurion Mk.5/2 with its gun pointed right at them. She was full of guilt. _'another match lost, even if only one in new tanks against opponents who have used them for a long time and just seeing how good they actually were_.'

"CENTURION TO THE LEFT!" The driver shouted.

Before anyone could react, Darjeeling spoke quietly in a sad tone. "I know."

They were all expecting the impact, but it never came. After a while, Darjeeling spoke over the open radio. "All tanks taken out. Await recovery and we will meet you back at the garages."

"But we haven't _been_ taken out." Assam remarked angrily.

"He didn't fire to save us the hassle of towing this back. He had us fair and square. If you had have moved the tank or turned the turret they would have fired. There was no way we were getting out of that." With that, the two Centurions moved of one after the other, with Darjeeling in the lead, back to the garages and the rest of the two makeshift teams.

* * *

The drive back to the garages was uneventful and silent. No one spoke in the two L7 armed Centurions. When they got back, everyone was in a cheerful mood, congratulating the others and laughing. That all stopped when they saw Darjeeling climb out of her tank, not looking herself. "Commander? Are you all right?" one or two asked.

She didn't listen, except went straight to the Mk.5/2 commander, who was stood next to his tank after climbing down. "How did you know?"

"It is what I have done in your position." He said matter of factly, with a trace of emotion on his voice. "You fought well, and almost finished us. There is nothing to be disappointed about. You 'aven't used these tanks before, and you 'ad no idea 'ow we would operate. It wasn't even a practice match. You were only gauging 'ow each commander was and 'ow effective we were, if at all, right?"

"Yes. I suppose. It just... I just can't seem to bring us a victory anymore."

"That's not the point. You aren't Kuromorimine. You don't 'ave to win every match. Especially not this one. It wasn't even about winning and losing."

Just then, Rosehip came screeching in and skidded to a halt at the rear of the yard. She jumped out of the recovery vehicle and ran over to Darjeeling. "WHOOOPPPEEEE! That was fun wasn't it?! When we doing that again?"

"Once we have sorted everything out Rosehip and got everyone organised into a team." Darjeeling answered.

"Oh so you're going back to your office to organise the team now then?" Rosehip enquired enthusiastically, not realising what was going on. To say that everyone wasn't grateful for the distraction would be a lie. Emotions were running high, and tensions were starting to rise as well.

"Erm.. yes, of course. I was just saying to everyone that I would get back to them, and that I was just going now to sort everything out. I will want some peace and quiet while I sort it all out. Good day for now." And with that, Darjeeling walked off to her Dingo and drove away without another word.

"Im going to sort my Cent out. Just fetch me when anything 'appens or I'm needed. Driver, get us moving." And with that, the Mk.5/2 commander jumped on his tank and him and his crew were off and going to the garages.

"Im going too. I have a lot of internal damage to fix from that HESH shell." And one of the Centurion Mk.3's followed suit.

Assam thought for a moment about the conversation with Orange Pekoe earlier in the Centurion, then walked towards the remaining group. "Errmm.. which one of you is the commander of the Centurion who took out two tanks earlier? The one who sort of led the Mk.3's." She asked curiously.

"Oh that was me miss." Marsh stepped forward and answered. "It was quite good wasn't it? You see..." he stopped as Assam was glaring at him angrily. Her face said a thousand words, and she walked off without any, trailing Orange Pekoe and their driver.

A large Scotsman who watched the whole thing commented to Marsh. "Aye Marsh, you're a stupid prick aren't you. When will you ever learn you stupid..."

"That's enough! We don't want any of that, just remember we are in the presence of a lot of ladies here." The FV commander shouted down from his turret. "Where's Alex at anyway?"

"In the garages. Around the middle bay I think is where his Cent was parked before we went out, with the rest of the Mk.3's, repairing the damage on his tank thanks to miss Rosehip here." Rosehip just grinned broadly.

"Well I'm of to go finish of my repairs. The turret drive is still buggered, as are some of the electrical systems." And the FV4005 lumbered away towards the garages to join the two tanks already there.

Rosehip walked up to the big Scotsman "Who commands that thing? I want a ride in it." She asked.

"That would be Ben. He'll probably let you have a go. He's a good lad like that."

"HUZZAH! This is going to be fun."

"Oh yes. You'll love it. Anyway, shouldn't you be going somewhere with the rest of your lot lassie?"

"Oh. Yes. I probably should. Bye then." As usual, she was off in a flash.

It had been a long day for everyone. The girls went back to their usual routine and the newcomers tended to their tanks, then went about the carrier to get used to their new surroundings. Tensions had been high on both sides, as well as emotions, and feelings. Most spent their evening being shown around the carrier, while one or two others were busy elsewhere.

* * *

Alex decided to stay in the garages and was sat in his Centurion, going over everything that had been fixed earlier after the battle. He heard footsteps coming outside. "'Ey 'up, what you doing around here? Make yourself useful and get up here and help." The footsteps stopped and started coming towards and climbing on the Centurion. "Right. Get to the dri... oh. Beg your pardon miss. I didn't realise it was you." He said, seeing who it was.

A tired looking Assam was staring down through the open commanders cupola. "It's ok. You weren't to know. Please don't stop because I'm here. I don't want to disturb you. I was just wondering what you were doing that was all."

"Oh. Ok miss. I was really just checking everything before I went off to bed. It's been a long day and I dont fancy walking around at this time of night." He carried on for a bit, looking up periodically at Assam, who was still staring down through the cupola.

"You did well today. You would be a good vice commander you know. I can see it in you." Assam remarked casually.

"Well... erm... thank you. It wasn't really anything special you know."

"You forgot to connect that cable." She pointed to a lose connector.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't see that."

He clicked the cable in position and there was a moments silence afterwards.

"May I come in?" Assam asked. "I might be able to help you out some more."

"Well... erm... yes, of course. By all means. The loaders 'atch is open."

Assam opened it and climbed in, closing it behind her.

No one said anything, then Assam spoke up. "Is that your schools' uniform? It just looks like the old British uniforms from WW2?"

"Yes. We couldn't really afford anything else. It's the '49 pattern battledress from the early Cold War era. We thought this and the overalls would fit the tanks we used perfectly. Probably won't in the later era matches though, if we get that far."

"I think it looks quite smart on you."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do. It also adds something to the historical aspect of the sport. I think it's just unusual that you wear it as a school uniform, like we have this" Assam plucked her blue school uniform jumper. "Which is quite normal, but wearing that to normal lessons? It seems quite strange."

"Well, tankery isn't actually part of our school lessons. In the UK it is more of an 'obby that we do outside of school. Our school uniform is quite normal like yours, just with trousers instead of a skirt and tites obviously." That drew a slight giggle and a smile. "But for this, our school put us on a sort of exchange, except no one from 'ere goes over there. It's a sort of trial thing I 'ear isnt it for your school?"

"Yes, it is. It's just this new tournament rule set and the whole co-ed thing came to be all at once, and apparently you are one of the only people in the UK doing tankery, and your school agreed, all the rest didn't."

"I see, well, I think I 'ave everything sorted. Do you want to check it over to make sure?"

"I already have. And everything seems in order."

"Your good at this aren't you?"

"I had better be. I am trying to sort everything out for Darjeeling, she has an awful lot to think about, especially recently, she hasn't been herself, so I've been trying to take a lot of work of her shoulders so she doesn't have as much to think about."

"Well that's good of you. Anyway. I 'ad better be of now, I 'ave a lot to sort out for tomorrow. But I..."

"I have something I want to ask." Assam interrupted.

"Would you want to go for a drink one evening maybe?" Alex blurted out, half talking over Assam.

"Well…"

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked. I better go now." He started to get up.

"Well... I was going to ask the same thing actually..."

He stopped and sat back down, then answered after a second. "Were you? Oh, right. Well, in that case, I take it that, you would... maybe?"

"Of tea?"

"Oh of course. What else can we have?" They both giggled. They needed it to relive the awkwardness between them. "Well, let me help you out of there. It's a bit bigger than a Churchill this thing."

She didn't hear the last words. Assam had fallen asleep in her seat, after forcing herself to stay awake just to ask that one question. Alex decided to stay with her, just to make sure she was ok, and fell asleep in the commander's seat opposite.

* * *

 **Chapter 3 completed. This was written while I was on Holiday in Germany during my spare time. I am pleasantly surprised at how many people have actually read this, and to those who have reviewed, followed and added it to your favourites, thank you. It means a lot, especially since I am new to this.** **Chapter 4 will take a bit longer to do, but will be coming in the near future.**


	4. Chapter 4- Old Freinds

**Chapter 4**

 **Old Friends**

 _ **Zuikaku**_

"Nishizumi-san. About this new tournament. Should we take part or just stick with the old rule tournaments?" Anzu asked, eating her potato chips as per usual.

"W..well.. errr.. we don't really have the tanks needed..." Miho replied, before being cut of.

"But we get a grant for new tanks, so that wouldn't be a problem."

"No no no. It's not that, well, it sort of is. We don't have enough people in the tankery class, and the grant only gives us a small number of tanks, about 5 for each stage. There is up to 30 tanks per side in the final. Unlike all the other schools taking part, we don't have a certain country to imitate. We have a good team for the normal tournaments, so maybe we should just stick to them, for now at least."

"But future tournaments will have either the new or old rule set, so there will be a lot of tournaments that we won't be able to take part in." Yuzu said, slightly downhearted.

"We could hire ourselves out to other schools." Anzu suggested.

"What? Sell ourselves out? We're not mercenaries. We are a respectable school!"

"Relax Momo-chan. It's not that bad. Just think of what we could earn from it. Maybe even buy more upgrade kits. Or we could do an exchange and get students from other schools. Who wouldn't want students from a school who has won their first tournament and against a university team? What do you say Nishizumi?"

"Well... it could work. But we would need to keep the crews together. It would be pointless splitting up crews who have worked together and work very well together. So we would have to keep the tank crews together." Miho explained.

"I see your point. Well, I'm sure we can discuss it later. We have a lot to think about in the meantime. That's all for now. Oh, there might be some changes around here soon, that might involve some of you." Miho and the rest of the Anglerfish team looked surprised at Anzu. "Nothing to worry about though. Oh, next time you come up here, bring me some more potato chips, I'm running out." On that que, the Anglerfish team left the student council office.

When they had left and were halfway down the hallway, Yukari ran up to Miho in the front. "Nishizumi-dono?"

"Hai?"

"Is it true? Will I finally be able to be like you were before you came here? It's always been my dream!"

Miho just smiled.

* * *

 ** _Kiev_**

"You need to do better than that comrade if you want to win in the finals." Berkyin stated to the girls gathered in front of him.

"But, who says we are going to make it to the final?" Nina spoke up nervously in front of the dominating figure in NKVD uniform.

"I will not tolerate any of that talk around here. We are superior to all the other schools, you must remember that. I will let it slide this once, but no more comrade."

"So Alexander. What do think of our current tactics?" Asked Katyusha, who was sat at a table with her usual tea and jam.

"Your current tactics will work well in the first few rounds, but in the later rounds, you will need to change. Starting tomorrow," he looked back towards the main group "I will start training you all on the new way of battling for Pravda. We will use the standard tactics of the Red Army, Breakthrough and a war of movement! It will be hard at first, we must break through their defences using all our superior power, and once a breakthrough has been achieved, we will unleash our tanks into their rear area and destroy them from behind. We will take losses, but we can use our superior numbers to overwhelm them. We do not and will not defend comrades, we will attack, attack and attack again until the enemy is broken and in disarray, with our tanks clawing at their heels! Comrades, no more will Kuromorimine be the most feared school around, from now on, it will be Pravda! FOR PRAVDA!"

"UUUUUURRRAAAHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

 _ **Akagi**_

"Totsugeki!"

"Charge them down!"

"Do the honourable thing and charge!"

"NO!" The shout silenced the room. "We shall not charge them anymore, it has only gotten us into trouble and lost every match in the past! We need new ideas." Nishi said angrily to the rest of the Chi-Ha-Tan sensha-do team. "Does anyone have any different ideas that doesn't involve charging into our opponents and then getting ourselves systematically taken out?"

"Errrmm... commander Nishi?" Fukuda spoke up hesitantly. "When we helped Ooarai against Selection University, their duck team helped us out a lot, and we even took out a few of their tanks. Maybe if we asked them to help us, we could learn something from them."

"Don't you think they will be a bit busy sorting themselves out? We might even have to verse Ooarai in the tournament." Nishi replied, thankful that someone wasn't focused on charging, and came up with a mostly good idea, she thought.

"You haven't heard? They aren't taking part in the tournament, but are lending themselves out as temporary transfer students to other schools."

"At a cost." Someone said from the back of the room for the bit Fukuda had left out.

"Yes, at a cost. But do you not think it would be worth it if we could learn something from then and even win a match or two, or possibly even more, we are able to compete properly now as we are on a level playing field with everyone else now, so we can win honourably, just not by charging them."

"Why don't we just get all of Ooarai to help us?" Asked Tamada.

"But, wont that cost a lot of money, probably even more seen as we let them down in the joint match against St. Gloriana and Pravda?" Inquired Nishi, cringing at the answer she knew was coming.

"Probably, but wont we get all that money back from winning even the first stage?"

"Well, yes we would. Oh all right then. Who is willing to work alongside Ooarai?" Nishi asked everyone, finally giving in. Everyone raised their hands. "Well, that settles that then. Maybe we can win after all."

* * *

 **USS** _ **George Washington**_

"UTE!" The sound of the gun was louder than any of them had ever experienced before. It also made the bullseye on the target bigger. "Wahoo! Good shot Naomi! You like your new tank then I take it?

Naomi smiled inside her tank. "I never thought I would find a tank I like better than my Firefly."

"Ha ha! I knew you would like it. Now, let's see how much noise we can all make! All tanks, FIRE!" For miles around, birds flew up from trees and filled the sky as much as the sound of the 2 120mm and 18 90mm cannons did. Somehow, they had found enough tanks to form a team with, while having a few tanks spare both for in case some broke down, and just to have as a collection. That they had spent a lot of their money and way over the grant the Sensha-do federation had given them was of no concern to Saunders. Almost no concern. "So anyway Alisa, how do you like your new tank?"

"It seems more powerful than the Sherman, but it isn't a Sherman. It'll take a while to get used to. There is more space to put radio tapping gear though, so I won't obstruct the loader by putting it in her way."

"That is _if_ you use it. Maybe against stronger schools like Kuromorimine or Pravda, but not the smaller ones like Ooarai again." Kay reprimanded Alisa, though in a light way, she was still sensitive and didn't want her to burst into tears again, especially not in front of the new students Saunders had got through the co-education programme. "Right, we've had our fun for today, lets head back before we end up expanding all our ammunition for this round. We don't have that much to waste."

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

"The supply ship already? We've only just got 'ere and we are already getting our next tanks?" Asked Alex, confused.

"Don't you remember what we said before we came? We were getting them early because we are going to need to sort the engines out in them so they aren't just an immobile bunker." Ben replied.

"Weren't we bringing some more crews as well?"

"No, just the one crew, and quite a few engineers. Because let's face it, we're going to need them."

"Good morning gentlemen. How are you today?"

"Oh. Miss Darjeeling. We 'aven't seen you in a few days, is everything ok?"

"Yes, fine thank you. I've just had a lot to sort out that's all, and I haven't been feeling too well. Thank you for asking though."

"It's no problem, I'm glad you're feeling better though. Was there something we could do for you?"

"Well, yes actually, I was wondering if you knew where I could find the commander of your Centurion Mk.5? I'm sorry, I don't even know his name yet."

"Who, Brad? Unfortunately we don't. We 'ave only seen him once or twice these last few days."

"He does 'ave trouble getting up on a morning, and staying awake."

"Aye, that is true."

"Oh, I see. He sounds like Mako from Ooarai. I take it you have seen the tournaments and know who I am on about?"

"Aye, we 'ave. He is a lot like her in fact."

"What would you think if he was to be commander of your team, and vice commander overall?" Darjeeling blurted out, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I think it'd be a dam good idea. He came up with most of the ideas that got us our victory the other day. Only just mind. You were very good yourself, but that is expected of course. If your girls 'ad 'ave known their tanks more, you would have won."

There was a clang of the supply ship docking to the carrier, and a brief pause in the conversation.

"Why do you need to bring in the next stages tanks now anyway? And so many engineers?" Asked Darjeeling, who was quite confused.

"Well, you see, when Britain was developing the Chieftain, NATO wanted all their tanks to 'ave multifuel engines so they could run on anything. Needless to say, it didn't work so they scrapped the idea. 'owever, Britain being stubborn as we are, we carried on with it and developed the turd that is the Leyland L60. It 'ardly ever worked. The tank itself was fantastic, but the engine let it down. More Chieftains were in for repairs and maintenance than were actually on the frontline."

"So in short, the engine is terrible and we want to make sure it works."

"I see. Can you get them all to work?" Inquired Darjeeling apprehensively.

"We did install the most modern variant of the L60 before we left, so there isn't too much to do, and the now commander 'as some knowledge on 'ow to sort them out. He learnt from some former engineers who worked on them back in the day. He'll probably be working on them when they arrive, probably through the night as well."

"Does he not sleep? Oh... you did say earlier."

"He sleeps on a morning, if at all. He probably won't want any of the engineers there the first night either so 'e can look all the engines over and see what needs doing to them."

"Oh. I see." Darjeeling said, he face seemed deep in thought.

They were interrupted by the sound of an approaching FV432. It started to slow down and Darjeeling walked towards where it would stop.

"Did you just do what I thought you did?" Whispered Ben.

"What?" Alex replied innocently, smirking ever since Darjeeling walked away.

"Did you just set them two up? Christ if he finds out he'll bloody kill you."

"Worth it. He needs to find someone, and let's face it, do think 'e is going to find anyone on his own?"

"Aye, true, I get your point, but I still don't think it was a good idea. Anyway, where were you the other night? We couldn't find you anywhere and then you just turned up the next morning." Alex just smiled, then walked towards the FV432 which had stopped next to Darjeeling, its crew smiling broadly.

"Anyone for tea from the best mobile Naafi there is?" One of them shouted to the three bystanders.

"Of course. One for Miss Darjeeling as well if you please."

"Naturally. Any food? Bacon sandwich? Anything?"

"How do you keep everything hot in there? And how do you have enough for everyone?" By this point, Darjeeling was really confused.

"Allow me to demonstrate." The rear troop door opened, revealing an interior with one side filled with a row of boiling vessels, and a strange arrangement of pipes with a sheet of metal on top at the far end of the troop compartment. "We cook everything inside fresh. We have a fridge to store cold items in, a hot plate heated up from this abomination we have made that gets heat from the engine to the hot plate. Works sort of like a nuclear reactor. Water gets heated up in the engine and then naturally travels along the pipes to the hot plate which it heats up, then travels back to the engine and the process repeats. It just doesn't have any of the glowing bits a nuclear reactor does. How it _actually_ works, I have no idea. The boiling vessels are here to heat water for tea and coco, and to cook boil in the bag rations."

"I am impressed, who came up with this idea?" Darjeeling asked, wondering why someone hadn't thought of the idea sooner.

"I had a part in it." A girl's voice said from behind Darjeeling, who immediately span round, staring in disbelief and amazement.

"Sis!?" Standing in front of her wearing her old St. Gloriana uniform, was Earl Grey.

* * *

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

It wasn't as awkward as it was at first, but it was still awkward. Erika and Hans standing together, this time in front of Shiho in her office, giving her a progress report on how the sensha-do team was doing. "They are doing very well. Our practice match earlier went very well. They are a lot more fluid in their actions and movements but are still in some ways sticking to the old style. Over time this will change, and it will be before the tournament comes around. I think in the next stages we need one or two scout vehicles, that will improve our chances of winning dramatically. They have a good commander, and they will follow her to the end of the world from what I can see. Weather that is out of fear or not I don't know, but they are a really strong team, I would even say they are better than some of my _Kameraden_ in the Bundeswehr cadets." Hans concluded, earning himself a surprised but smiling look from Erika, who's face remained slightly screwed up afterwards.

Shiho listened carefully to what he had to say, laughing at the jibe at Erika. "I can certainly believe that. I will trust your judgment on your last note and hope you aren't just saying that to please me, although I know you wouldn't do that, otherwise you _would_ have Erika to answer to." This time it was Erika who got to laugh in her usual evil looking way.

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Enter. Oh Koume, is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wanted to speak to Erika for a second. Should I get the girls to stay for a bit or should I let them go?"

"You and Erika go outside for a second and sort it out, I need to run some things over concerning Hans here."

"Have you been stealing from the galley again Hans? I thought you had learnt your lesson in school?" Erika taunted Hans on her way out, shutting the door behind her.

Shiho looked Hans over for a second, making sure Erika and Koume were outside and not too near the door for them to overhear. "I hear you have made quite an impression here already. I can see it as well."

"Me and Erika have been friends a long time. We have known each other since we were just starting school, although we were quite distant at first. We only really got to know each other better a few years later. We got really close in our last year of junior high school, until about half way through, her friends set us up, sort of pushing Erika, but she was going along with it, mostly willingly. It was a strict school, and the teachers found out. She had started to ask when we were dragged away from each other. Relationships were forbidden and were punished by exclusion from the school, permanently. I took the blame for her. I couldn't see her taken away from her friends, I didn't have many there anyway. How did you find out may I ask?"

Shiho winced slightly, not wanting to reveal the true answer, but thought she couldn't get a lie past him easily. "I was going to Erika's office to get a letter I had left the last time I was in there. Koume was standing a bit away from the door with the rest, supposedly unknown to Koume, stood at the top of the stairs. She knew of course, they all wanted to know what was going on, and she dismissed them while they were hiding. She told me they were to do the learning at home for that day and told me that the letter had already been posted. I asked where you were, and she tried to think of an answer, but couldn't, so said you were in there too. That's when I heard the sobs and knew." Shiho explained at length, trying to make it as short as possible.

"She just needed comforting. I think it was a bit of a shock to her system. She was a bit upset and flustered with me just walking in from what seemed like nowhere to her. I did start it by saying I would have said yes that day, and that is when the waterworks started. We just hugged each other for a while until she had sorted herself out. Nothing more."  
"And now?"

"Well, that I'm sure you have seen for yourself. We are perfectly happy together. You can ask her yourself if you want, but I am sure, and hope, she would give the same answer." They heard footsteps approaching from down the corridor, denouncing the return of Erika.

"Would you come back here once you have finished with cadets to teach? You and Erika? Think it over… So yes, I'm glad about how things are going, and I just hope everything will continue to go as good as it is now." The door opened and Erika re-entered the room just after Shiho had asked Hans the question. Everything all right Erika?"

"Yes, just as long as he hasn't been causing too much trouble around."

"Well, if that is everything, I have a lot to be getting on with, so you can carry on now. Thank you for letting me know how things are going. Its not easy taking a back seat from it, but I know it's what is needed." Erika and Hans took their que and headed out. "Oh, Erika." She stopped and turned around while Hans left, closing the door on his way out. "You are happy, aren't you? With Hans? It is what you want?"

Erika blushed, but controlled it, answering matter of factly. "Yes, yes I am. As it was said earlier, it would be dangerous to do go against my wishes or to force me."

"That's good. I'm here if you need me though." Shiho said to the receding figure of Erika through the door. Once outside, they smiled at each other passionately and held hands as they did in the brief moments of privacy they had in empty corridors and rooms, walking down the corridor hand in hand back to the hanger deck, much to the amusement of Koume who was peaking out the door of the next room.

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

The garages were rather crowded now. With the first stages tanks, and some of the second stages tanks now crammed into a space meant for St. Gloriana's original few tanks including Crusaders, Matilda's, Tetrarch and Harry Hopkins and their biggest tank, the Churchill, all of which were smaller in size than the new, more modern tanks. The biggest of which being the two Conqueror's and the new Chieftains. Both of which having to have their long guns turned to the rear so as to actually fit in the garages, with the Centurions having to do the same. The Chieftains were separated from the rest of the tanks, and all had their turrets at an angle and the guns elevated so the engine decks could be accessed, all of which were open for the maintenance that would be done on them once a pre-maintenance check had been done on them all.

Darjeeling was walking along the outside wall, looking for the door that was always unlocked, and entered. She listened for a minute before walking towards the sound of clanging and scraping metal. She saw the light on the top of one of the turrets and walked up to the tank, and up the set of ladders that was set next to the engine compartment.

"Oh, good evening Miss. You're up late."

"Yes, I was just walking past and heard a noise from inside, so I came in to see who it was… Its Brad isn't it?" She said, looking at the slightly blackened face. His overalls were covered in oil and grease, as were his hands and arms. He was kneeling on the edge of the engine deck, reaching down into the engine.

"Aye, it is. Excuse the mess Miss, I'm just checking these engines to see what will need fixing on them."

"The turd that is the Leyland L60 is it?" Darjeeling said, smiling and silently laughing.

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at Darjeeling with a thoughtful look on his face. "You 'ave 'eard of it then? It is true, it is a tur… an awful engine, but it can be fixed, especially these later ones."

Darjeeling was giggling to herself. "What is with how you and some of the others speak? You don't say some of the words properly. Is it just something you do between yourselves?"

"Oh, I take it you mean 'ow we don't say the 'h' at the start of words. Well, me, Alex and Ben are from Yorkshire, and that is just our accent and how we were brought up. As for the others, the ones you'll notice the most is our scot, who it goes without saying, is from Scotland, his name is Harry Lennox, don't cross him. There is our cockney, Andy Caine, who 'appens to 'ave the same surname as one of our greatest cockney actors. The rest are quite similar but come from all over the country. And then there is Marsh, he is just a loudmouth, I know you have met 'im. We all 'ave our own little quirks on how we say things. Don't be afraid to ask people if you don't understand something they 'ave said." He put his head down and carried on working. He carried on fiddling around in with the engine for a minute or two with Darjeeling watching him in fascination at how he knew his way around the complicated looking engine, knowing he was looking for things that needed fixing no matter how unbroken they seemed.

"I have always wanted to learn something about tank engines, and engines in general."

"It's dirty work Miss. And it's not pretty. You don't come out looking clean and smelling of roses."

"It may surprise you, but it wouldn't be the first time. Maybe you could teach me some basic things."

"Well I…"

"I insist." Darjeeling stood her ground but kept a smile on her face.

"I'm not good at explaining things, but Ok." He went on to point out the main parts of the engine and describe what they did briefly. Darjeeling did some of the very basic maintenance tasks once shown, such as removing a cover here and there, but it was never more than that.

"I'm sure you know more than that. You've been working on these engines for quite some time, and you did a lot of work on them before you came as well. I want to learn how to…."

"With all due respect Miss, if you want a proper lesson, I think you 'ad better speak to one of the engineers tomorrow. They will 'ave more time to go through it with you and can teach you a lot better that I can."

There was a pause, with Darjeeling staring, taken aback after being cut of all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry Miss. I'm just a bit worked up at the minute and 'ave a lot on my mind."

There was another pause, then Darjeeling carried on. "Did you get told earlier by either Alex or Ben? You are now the Vice-Commander of our joint team, and commander of your own team."

"No, they didn't come and see me. I think I know why though. But that's for another time."

They both stood and keeled where they were for a minute. It seemed more a lifetime for each of them.

"As you said earlier, its late. I should be heading back."

"Yes y… No. No you don't have t…" he stopped, the words stuck in his throat. He had messed up, again.

* * *

Darjeeling walked outside, her head down. She walked past Alex, Ben and Rosehip, who were all heading towards the garages. "Good evening Miss Darjeeling. Ho…" They stopped when they saw her closer. Her hands were slightly blackened, her red tunic had faint smudges on it, and her face was shadowed by her hair and the darkness outside, which was just as well. She didn't stop. The trio looked at each other, before Rosehip ran after her, and the other two walked towards the open door leading into the garages. They walked in, looking around. They heard the sound of a tool being thrown down, and it clattered on the floor. They headed towards the source of the sound. "Skipper?"

"YOU TWO. OUT!" There was anger, and emotion, in the shouted voice.

They left quickly, not wanting to stay around, lest they became a target for any more thrown objects.

* * *

A few hours later, the Engineers turned up, long before anyone was even close to waking up. They found an upturned toolbox next to one of the Chieftains, and saw that most hadn't been touched, and that there was no one around. They started to work from scratch, while in two separate rooms, two people lay awake, only finally drifting off to sleep when the sun started to appear over the horizon.

* * *

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

"In four days, we will make port and go to the pre-tournament selection. There will be more details given out about how this tournament will work when everyone is there. You have all done well, and have, and will, make this school proud." Shiho announced to Kuromorimine's Sensha-do team.

There was a gasp from the assembled girls, who were all facing the podium where Shiho, Erika, Hans and Koume stood. The four of them turned around, and saw 5 girls stood there in Ooarai uniform, with one of them ahead of the rest. "I'm returning the favour you did for us, and as I was requested, I'm here."

Koume shouted out in disbelief at who she saw. "Miho!"

* * *

 **Well, this took a shorter amount of time than I thought it would. The next chapter will begin the lead up to the tournament, with the schools selecting their numbers to decide who will battle against who. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this, and I will see you in the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5- New Beginnings

**Chapter 5**

 **New Beginnings**

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

At precisely 7:00am, the alarm clock buzzed its quiet, sensitive wake up call. It did the same at 7:05, and then again at 7:10. Darjeeling slapped her hand around the clock in a vain attempt to find the off button. She hit it harder in frustration, knocking it of her bedside table. She groaned, and then got up. She had her usual morning shower, in which she just stood, thinking. She got herself dried, and dressed in her school uniform, not seeing the few creases in it. She tied her in her usual style, but missed a few strands here and there. She hoped her schedule was the same, not that it mattered anyway, she was already late, so didn't bother going to her office to check. She was expecting a normal routine, but a bad day, it had already started that way.

* * *

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

"So, it still fits then. You haven't exactly grown much since you last wore it."

"Hai. I... I didn't think I would ever wear it again." Miho said, a wan smile on her face. She was startled by the sudden visitor.

"Cheer up Miho. The past is the past. You have moved on now, and it's time to move on even further."

"It seems like I'm not the only one who's moved on. You seem a lot happier Erika-san."

"I am. I suppose this is my true self, and I am happy with Hans, but if we hadn't been broken up, I wouldn't have joined Kuromorimine, and we wouldn't be in the places we are now." For once, Erika didn't blush when talking about her new boyfriend. "I suppose we have both found ourselves now. And soon, you will see everyone as your new self, with your old skin, so they will be even more feared as you are part of Kuromorimine once again, just with your new-found skills."

Miho smiled a genuine smile this time. "I don't think people will see me any different, and I really don't think they have feared me. I'm not that good. It would be nice to see everyone again though. When do we make port?"

"Either tonight or tomorrow morning. The day after we see who we are up against in the first round, and who we will potentially see after that. Now come on, lets get your crew together." They walked a few doors down, and entered a room without knocking, again startling its occupants. "So, this is the famous crew of Ooarai. The uniforms add something. It counteracts the looks." Erika jeered, trying to provoke a response, but in a joking fun way.

Before her stood the four girls from Miho's tank. The ever-energetic Saori, who was still slightly nervous after her last run in with Erika at the café before the 63rd tournament. Hana who was standing there in her usual elegant way, smiling as always. Yukari, who was in her element and had her beaming panzer-high smile, being part of Kuromorimine was her lifelong ambition, even if it was only temporary. And Mako, who had momentarily woken up, but closed her eyes went back to sleep without a care in the world for where she was.

"So, Miho, shall we go find you a tank? You are going to need to practice in it to get used to it."

"HAI!"

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

Earl Grey was amused. Darjeeling had never been late for anything and had always got up at the right time. She remembered a promise Darjeeling had made, that if she ever got up late, Earl Grey could make Darjeeling drink coffee. She had some behind her back now, cheerfully striding down to Darjeeling's room. She barged in without knocking. "DARJJEEELLLIIINNGG! YOUR LATE!" She shouted enthusiastically. Her face turned. She noticed something on the floor that was broken. She went over and picked it up. It was an alarm clock, one that she recognised almost instantly, if it wasn't for the damage that had been caused to it. "Darjeeling? What have you done?" She noticed that the room was empty. _'What has happened to you little sis? Where are you? This isn't like you.'_ Earl Grey thought worriedly. She took her parting gift to Darjeeling with her to her room, then went to find Darjeeling.

* * *

The garages were a busy place, as were the workshops. Everyone who could was helping the engineers with the troublesome Chieftains. While most were working on the engines in one way or another, the rest were going over everything else. This included radios, guns, ammo storage, tracks, electrical systems and just exterior along with all the systems for tankery including the flags.

"Morning skipper! You're up early." It was already past 10, but that was still early for him. "Here, get this down you." He was handed a cup of tea.

" 'ow's it going?" He said wearily.

"Just fine skipper. Should be done by the end of tomorrow, or day after at the most. Turns out not much needed doing to them after all." The chief Engineer stated cheerfully.

"That's good. You always make a good tea chief. And it's good about the tanks as well. You and your lot are good."

"Thanks skipper. You know, I've always wanted to call you that, and now I officially can." He said with a smile on his face, then it slowly turned nervous. "You know skipper, you look awful. Rough night?"

"Aye chief, you could say that."

"I heard you met one of the girls last night. How did it go?"

"Not now chief... Let's just say, put two and two together."

"I see. Well, let me show you your tank then ey? We got it outside as the first one to test, along with one of the Mk.2's."

"We'll do it tomorrow then if they are ready by then."

"Ahhh, no you won't." A voice said from behind them. "We make port tomorrow for the pre-tournament selection."

"Oh yea. I forgot about that. Morning lads, and Miss. 'ow are you all this morning?" Ben, Alex and Assam, the latter two of whom were walking arm in arm, were walking towards the garages after pointing out about the next day.

"We're fine thank you. Unlike someone on the other hand. You look like you have been up all night, have you been seeing someone behind everyone's backs?" Assam mocked in a funny way, not knowing that her mockery was partly true. She saw the four heads around her droop slightly in awkwardness. "Sorry, am I missing something here?"

She was saved a reply as the chief engineer saw a Ferret scout car approaching quickly from the corner of his eye. "Ah, Lady Grey is here."

The Ferret turned and raced towards the group, then skidded to a halt, and Earl Grey poked her head out of the drivers hatch. "Has... Oh, Assam, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Oh… Errr… No, not today. I have already done todays segment, so I wasn't needed." Assam replied, embarrassed at being seen out of class with someone.

"Well anyway. Has anyone seen Darjeeling? She isn't in her room, but she was late for class, which in itself is highly unusual."

There were a few worried glances around. "Not since last night."

"Last night?" Earl Grey asked puzzled.

"Oh… So you were… wait. With the way you all looked before… Don't tell me…" Assam finally realised that she had hit the nail on the head earlier, but also what it implied now.

"Yea, it didn't go well. I was as awkward as ever and said some things I shouldn't 'ave."

"Oh. That's not good. Darjeeling is like you, except she can take it quite hard sometimes, and she has seemed to be at a low point from what I have heard."

"Want some 'elp looking? I suppose it's the least I can do considering, and I'm sure everyone else will be glad to help."

"Aye, come on, let's do it."

"Seen as it's the least you can do as well, considering it was your bloody idea in the first place. You're lucky he hasn't torn strips out of you yet, because he dam well knows." Ben said quietly to Alex.

"What was that?" Assam enquired.

"It's nothing, let's just go." Alex said, accepting what Ben had just said.

"Errmmm… Excuse me" A small voice said to the group. "Are you all from the Sensha-do team?"

"Yes, we are. Is there something we can do for you?" Assam said politely.

"Well, I am from bakery class, and the head of bakery is going to try to get your head of Sensha-do to admit that she isn't worthy of holding that position in front of everyone. I think they have a strong rivalry between them. I don't think she will be gentle either, she isn't the nicest person in St. Gloriana. The headmistress is also going there, and if there is even a hint of a fight, she said there would be consequences for both of them."

"Right, you lot, hop on you lot." Early grey turned to the 1st year who had warned them "Where abouts will they be do you know?"

"I think in the big central courtyard."

"Right, thank you. Hurry up you lot."

"Here, chief, finish this. Ill meet you round the back, I need to grab something from my room." Brad said, turning and going through the garages at a run.

"Right 'o. Be quick." Earl grey disappeared back inside the drivers position in the Ferret, then set of in a cloud of tyre smoke, first towards the makeshift dormitory, then towards the inner school building.

* * *

 _ **Akagi**_

"Oh hiya Nishi-san!" Anzu waved from the side of the deck.

"Anzu-san! I'm so glad you accepted our offer. It's a shame Miho couldn't join you, but we can't complain about that."

Momo walked up to them both, then bowed to Nishi in greeting. "Six tank crews are here as requested. Please use them wisely." She said formally.

"Relax Momo-chan. So, do you want us all at the pre-tournament selection tomorrow or are you going to try and keep it a secret Nishi-san?"

"Miho could already have told everyone, so you can come, although you will probably have to wear Chi-Ha-Tan uniform."

"That is understandable. You will have to provide them for us, as we cannot buy a uniform for every school we help." Momo said to Nishi.

"I'm sure we can all lend you a spare uniform each."

"Ahhh details details. We'll work it all out later. I'm surprised as to why you wanted our help in the first place. It isn't like Chi-Ha-Tan." Anzu changed the subject, curious about the answer to her question.

"Well, it's because..." Nishi started, but was interrupted.

"It's because Duck-donno was a good leader in the match against Selection University and allowed us to take down some of their tanks and maybe made it further, if it wasn't for their Centurion."

The duck team commander, Noriko, walked up to the small group. "Because of us? We only tried to stop you from charging all the time, showing you there was another way."

"Which is what we needed. We weren't getting anywhere before you helped us.

We need this in order to progress and get better at Sensha-do. We have the tanks, and now we have the brains and experience."

"We can't promise you anything Nishi-san, but we'll try."

"We will need to see the tanks we are using though." Momo brought them to the point.

"Oh, yes, of course. I'll show you."

The Chi-Ha-Tan Sensha-do team led the girls from Ooarai towards the tank sheds. It was a longer walk than on the Ooarai carrier, which was much smaller than most of the other school ships. They entered the tank sheds, and the lights came on, revealing both their normal tanks, and the new ones, which looked like giants compared to the Chi-Ha's they were used to using.

"So, these are the tanks we have. They are mostly light tanks, Japan didn't really use any other tanks, except Shermans and a few other older tanks. We have 7 M41 Walker Bulldogs. They have a high velocity 76mm cannon, thin armour and high speed and mobility. Its gun is better than the one the Sherman has. The odd one out at the end is an M36B2. Japan got one of these to test out, so we were able to get our hands on one. It is armed with a 90mm gun, so it can take out other tanks rather well, but has almost no armour. It has the armoured roof plate, so we are able to use it in the tournaments, because as you know, open topped tanks are not allowed. We have just had it modified slightly so it is actually fully attached so It complies fully with the rules. The other two are the STA- 1and STA-2. They are both armed with a 90mm gun, the same as the one mounted on the earlier Patton tanks, which we will probably be facing, but not much armour with decent speed and mobility, the M36's gun is also the later version, I forgot to say that earlier. So we are going for speed and mobility over armour and big guns, with the exception of the three 90mm armed tanks, as that is all we can do."

"But, commander Nishi, isn't that going to play to our advantage? If we can get to a good position quickly, then hide ourselves, we can do what we did against Selection University and fire at them from where they least expect it."

"Yes Fukuda, you are right there. We are changing our style and now, with Ooarai's help, we might just win."

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

It almost seemed like a gladiator battle the old Roman colosseum's, Darjeeling thought. There was a lot of girls from around the school in the big courtyard, some of who were cheering and chanting, mostly the rowdy ones who usually caused trouble, because even St. Gloriana wasn't free of those, but most were just silently watching, wondering either what was going on, or if they knew, what would happen. ' _How have I gotten into this mess?_ ' she wondered, thinking back. Miss Bun had been waiting for her again, and had confronted her, ending up with Darjeeling being half dragged, half willingly brought to the courtyard, but before that? She remembered leaving her room, and walking down towards… her first class? Which was strange because she usually headed to her office and then the galley. But she had gotten up late, and then remembered why. She realised how foolish she had been. Or had she been? ' _Could it just have been the wrong place at the wrong time for both of us? Have I gotten myself so worked up recently that I have put my own feelings to one side?_ ' She thought as she walked slowly towards the middle of the crowd, which was gathered around the clear, open center of the courtyard. ' _What made me go in the first place? Curiosity. Curious as to see who was capable of thinking ahead so much in the test match, and what sort of person the new vice-commander was. Nothing more than that._ ' She knew that nothing could be held against her, and that she had pulled through everything that had been thrown at her previously. She was part of St. Gloriana after all, so she picked herself up, walked in her usual straight-backed elegant way, and kept her face impassive, trying to show no emotion.

"So, _Miss_ Darjeeling. Lost another match, out late at night near the boy's so-called dormitory's, and then up late and missing the start of your class. That's not the way of St. Gloriana now is it? Or being the elegant British woman you always dream of being. Maybe its time you admitted that you aren't cut out for this school any more, to _everyone_." The last word was emphasized broadly, conveying the meaning of the confrontation.

Darjeeling was looking at her feet, trying to contain her anger at being confronted in such a way. "Maybe I might have taken lessons from you on how _not_ to be elegant." Her head rose up slowly, her anger clearly showing on her face. "And at least I try to win my tournaments legally without cheating or bribing the judges."

Miss Bun's face screwed into an angry ball. She stepped forward quickly, her hand swinging in rage towards Darjeeling's cheek. The crack of flesh hitting flesh sounded throughout the courtyard, but was immediately followed by an even louder one. Miss Bun reeled back, her cheek red raw with a drop of blood slowly running from her nose. She had underestimated the will power and strength of Darjeeling, who's own red cheek made her face seem even more angry. It was the last straw for Miss Bun. She took control of herself, and started walking slowly towards Darjeeling, her hands in fists this time. She drew her arm back, ready to strike a punch that couldn't be avoided. The courtyard echoed with a bang. Everyone turned towards where it came from, a few girls letting of a short scream at the sudden noise.

The blank round fired into the air from a revolver had the desired effect. With Earl Grey walking briskly towards the center of the courtyard, her face tight with rage, the boy's and Assam behind her stopped, letting Earl Grey handle everything.

"You've been nothing but trouble since you started here. I should hold you here until the headmistress comes, but that would mean implicating everyone here, and I think you have been taught a lesson enough as it is." Earl Grey said angrily, towering over the smaller students. "I suggest you all clear off and forget what happened here. The headmistress will be here very soon." Earl Grey was well known around St. Gloriana, except to some of the newest girls, and her words were taken seriously. She looked back at Miss Bun. "You had better go, and do not even _think_ about trying anything like that again, or next time, you will have me to answer to before the headmistress deals with you. And just remember, I don't have anything to lose by being kicked of the ship, you do." With that, Miss Bun went of quickly, with her closest friends in tow. She didn't look back. Earl Grey turned to Darjeeling. "That was stupid of you, and you deserved that slap for being so stupid as to come here in the first place. But at least you showed her that you are not to be underestimated. But come now. We don't want to be caught here by the headmistress, especially with the colour of your cheek."

"I know I shouldn't have. I wasn't myself this morning. I didn't know what I was doing. It does sting though."

"Not half as much as it does for her though." By this time, they had reached the others.

"Maybe you get your strength from holding your tea cup up so much and climbing in and out of tanks." They joked. It brought a smile to everyone's faces.

"Why did you bring a gun with you. You know you will not be able to hide it any more. How you got it on board in the first place I don't know."

"Its part of our dress that we use when we are in our tanks. At home, we go for 'istorically accurate looks in our uniforms."

"Don't worry, the headmistress allowed it, even saying it was a good idea. And I'm glad you did run and get it. It was better than trying to get a tank over there to fire. I'm sure if the headmistress asks, you had it on to show the girls what your full uniform looked like because one of them asked, and you just forgot to take it off when I dragged you onto the Ferret and drove you here."

"Aye, that sounds pretty accurate to me. I don't think we 'ave been followed, so we should be all right now"

They exited the school building and returned to the Ferret that had been abandoned outside the nearest entrance to the school building. "Its quite misty out there in the distance. I hope we aren't going towards it otherwise we won't be able to practice in the whole training area." Said Assam.

"We're going towards it all right, but you won't be able to do any training for a day or two anyway."

"Oh, why's that?"

"That's land."

* * *

 **Tokyo, Japan**

The school ship harbour was very crowded, and so were the waters off the coast. Every school taking part in the 64th Sensha-do tournament had docked their ship in or just outside the main harbour. It was the day of the pre-tournament selection, where all the schools taking part in the tournament went to select their number to see who they were up against in the first round, and then who they could be up against in the later rounds. It took place in a converted theatre, with the school's students on the ground floor, and spectators in the upper seating areas. The back wall had a large projection screen on it, with a pyramid of empty boxes, sixteen in the bottom row, eight on the second row, four on the next, and two on the top row.

* * *

It was the same as always for everyone, but at the same time, it was a new experience. With the new rules to be fully explained, everyone was apprehensive about what was to come, and also who would be facing who, as everyone was on an almost level playing field, with the same amount and similar types of tanks, with only the skill and tactics of the teams to truly differentiate between them. The schools all mixed before the start time, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones

"Heeyyy Erika-san! How you doing? It's been a long time."

"Hi Kay! It has been a while. Well, a few months anyway. The match against Selection University wasn't it? At the after-match party?"

"I'm sure it was, that was a go... who's this?" Kay asked suddenly, surprised at seeing someone hugging Erika from behind.

Erika answered without turning around "Oh. This is Hans. At least I hope it is." She now turned around, smiling at Hans. "He is from the Bundeswehr cadets and he has come to help us get used to our new tanks."

"And the rest Erika. Like the fact that you sort of asked me out again."

"WHAAAAT? You're the last person I expected to be with someone with this whole new co-ed schooling everyone is getting into a relationship."

"Who's that?" Erika was slightly confused by Kay's reaction.

"Well, it's just that you always seem to be a bit angry or... although, thinking about it, you seem to have changed since we last met."

"I have. I needed to after Maho left for Germany, and I started to, then met Hans again after we last saw each other before I joined Kuromorimine. Then I changed completely."

"Who's your Vice anyway seen as you are the commander now?"

"Koume. I thought she had the best skills and knowledge for it, and I was right. She has been more of a commander than I have been quite a bit."

"Isn't anyone going to bow down to the Duce from Anzio?"

"Who would bow down to another school? You should learn to have some honour and earn the right to have people bow down to you."

"Nishi! I wo..."

"Heeeyy 'Chovy. Still forcing people to bow down to you?"

"Anzu!? Why are you in Chi-Ha-Tan uniform?"

"It's not just me 'Chovy." Anzu pointed to where the rest of Chi-Ha-Tan was.

"Isn't Ooarai taking part? You won the last tournament, why give up now?"

"We haven't a big enough team, so for now, we're just lending ourselves out to other schools."

"So that means you have Miho as well? I think I know who is going to win this tournament then."

Erika was just smirking behind Kay. "Well, they aren't all together."

Kay turned around to face Erika. "Oh? Who has Miho then? You obviously wont, Kuromorimine doesn't need help, your strong and talented enough as it is."

"Who said anything about needing help? She had a debt to pay."

"Hi Kay-san."

"Miho? What debt did you have to pay?" Kay asked, really confused with the days turn of events.

"For helping us against Selection University."

"Shouldn't you be repaying that debt to us then Miho-san seen as we were the ones who organised all the help?"

"Darjeeling-san! That was you?"

"It's a long story for another time. How is everyone?"

"I think we are all fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine thank you. How is everyone finding their new tanks?"

"Our Patton's are great! Anzio is now truly strong!"

"Our Patton's are good. The next stage will be good though. We have an ace up our sleeve for that one." Erika smirked.

"So do we, a few in fact, but that's for when the time comes." Darjeeling said with a slight smirky smile.

"Hang on. Your both using Patton's?" Kay asked, now out of her mind.

"Yes."

"Yes, why?"

"SO THATS WHY THEY WENT SO QUICKLY! WE HAD TO BUY SOME AFTERMARKET ONES BECAUSE THERE WAS ALMOST NONE LEFT!"

Everyone burst out laughing at Kay's outburst.

"Don't you have a new Vice Commander now Darjeeling seen as St. Gloriana is now a co-ed school?"

"Yes, we are now a co-ed school, but only temporarily for now at least, and I do have a..."

" _Will everyone take their seats please as the president will now say a few words and go through all the new rules before the selection process begins."_ The speaker interrupted Darjeeling and stopped all conversation.

"For later then Darjeeling, and everyone. We should all meet up once this is over and done with, it shouldn't take long." Erika said, as everyone parted ways and agreed to meet later.

Once everyone was seated, the Sensha-do Federation president got up and stood behind the lectern. He began by introducing himself and talking about Sensha-do as a whole. He then went on to introduce the new rule set and state the reasoning behind it, stressing the fact the original rule set would be kept, and it would either be a selection between the two or have it as its own tournament. He then introduced the new rules, and started going into more depth and explaining the

reasoning behind them. "There will be no Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, or ATGM's. These weapon systems are simple to use with almost no counter in the later stages as we don't have access to Active Protection systems or modern advanced passive protection systems, such as modern Explosive Reactive Armour. Each stage will have its own year limits and number of tanks allowed. For the first stage, it is the 1950's with a limit of ten tanks. For the second it is the 1960's and 1970's with fifteen tanks. For the third stage, the semi-finals it is the 1980's with twenty tanks, and for the fourth and final stage it is the 1990's with thirty tanks on each team. The winning team of each stage will have the option of using the team they beat in their other matches. This includes teams that are being used by that team.

As an example," he pointed at the screen behind him, which had a diagram of what he was explaining, with a long pointing stick "if team 1 beats Team 2, they can then use team 2's tanks in the next stage against Team 3. If team 3 then wins against Team 1, Team 3 will then be able to use both Team 1 and 2's tanks in the final against team 5. This does not mean that you can have more than the allotted number of tanks per team, they will just replace some of yours." It went on and on, not just outlining the major rule changes, but every single one of them. The end of his speech took everyone aback. "The last thing I have to mention is that the matches will not all take place in Japan. This year, we want to promote the sport of Sensha-do to the entire world, so each school will have at least one match in the country that their school represents." He closed his speech of with the usual amenities, then went of the stage the way he came on. The speech that 'wouldn't take long' went on for about 2 hours in all, well over the 15 minutes it usually took. When he finally left the stage, an announcer stated that the drawing of numbers was about to take place and asking all team commanders to come to the front row ready to go on stage. It took 5 minutes before they were all ready. The announcer then started saying the names of the schools to then come onto the stage to draw their number.

" _Anzio Girls High School"_ Anchovy got up and walked up to the box on the stage. She reached in and drew out a card and held it up in the air. " _Anzio: 5!"_ On the screen Anzio's name was put in the box with the number 5. Anchovy walked of the stage the way she had come, handing the card to an official on her way down.

" _BC Freedom High School"_ Marie did the same as Anchovy and drew her number. _"BC Freedom: 4!"_

They were followed by Bellwall Academy, Blue Division High School and Bonple High School, who drew numbers 11, 14 and 1 respectively.

" _Chi-Ha-Tan Academy"_ Nishi got up on the stage and drew her teams' number. _"Chi-Ha-Tan: 3!"_ The first of eight pairs had been decided.

" _Count: 12!"  
"Gregor: 15!"_

" _Jatkosota: 16!"_

" _Koala: 10!"_

" _Kuromorimine Girls Academy"_ Erika got up onto the stage. It was the first time she had done this, and she was nervous. She reached into the box and drew her number. She was the first from the major schools to do so, and all eyes were on her hand and what it would bring out. _"Kuromorimine:"_ The room took an audible breath. _"7!"_ There was a huge sigh from the schools that had chosen but weren't in a pair yet, and gulps from most of the schools who had yet to pick their numbers.

" _Maple: 8!"_ There were gasps and sighs of relief throughout the room. A small school was going up against Kuromorimine, but that also meant that no other school would be facing them in the first round.

" _Pravda Girls High School"_ Katyusha walked up onto the stage, not under the power of Nonna, as only the commanders were allowed on the stage. She reached up, struggling to get a card out to the amusement of everyone in the theatre. _"Pravda: 13!"_ Another strong school against a small school.

" _Saunders University High School"_ Kay jogged up onto the stage and drew her number out quickly. _"Saunders: 6!"_ She cheered inside, think that Anzio would be an easy victory this time, unlike their last match against Ooarai.

" _St. Gloriana Girls College"_ Darjeeling walked up onto the stage and drew her number. _"St. Gloriana: 2!"_ She breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that it wouldn't be too hard a match so they could progress through to the next stage which also didn't seem to much of a challenge.

Viggen High School didn't need to choose their number, as they were the last In line. _"Viggen High School by default is now number 9!"_

Each school started to talk between themselves about the results and how they thought the matches would turn out. 10 minutes later, the announcer said that the pre-tournament selection was over. It was getting late now, and the school ships were closing their gates at the usual time.

"It seems like there isn't much time for us to get together tonight now. That speech went on for too long." Darjeeling said to the others.

"We'll make it for after the tournament, and that is a definite, even if we hive to hijack the school ships." Erika said lightly. They all agreed, and said their goodbye's for now, and hoped they would see each other in the tournaments.

"We will probably have an easy first match then wont we Darjeeling?" Assam caught up with Darjeeling.

"Let's hope we do."

"Do you want to go for a quick drink with a few of us maybe? We are old enough to, and we are allowed to. Drink to our upcoming victories? We are all hoping you do." Assam asked.

"Not tonight. I don't feel up to it."

"If you do want to, you know where we will be. And if you want some company, just ask."

"Thank you, but I am probably just going to get some sleep." She walked off after that, leaving Assam to go back to the others.

"Say skipper, you want a drink tonight? Something stronger than usual?" Alex asked seeing Assam come back.

"Aye, I suppose. I could do with something like that."

"Good on you. I think we could all do with a bit of unwinding anyway. First rounds on me."

"I take it everyone is going? Or everyone who can I should say."

"Yes, everyone is going. We'll all meet up there at some point, a few will be late though as they still have a bit of work to do from class, so we are making them do it before they go out." Assam answered instead.

When they got back on the carrier, those who were old enough from St. Gloriana went to the English pub that was a hot spot for people to visit.

Each school had decided to do something similar, holding party's and get togethers on their respective carriers as a sort of compensation for not doing it with the other schools. Anzio had their usual Pasta and Pizza party, using up another large part of their budget. Kuromorimine had a mini Oktoberfest, Saunders just had lots of fast food on offer in the typical American style, Chi-Ha-Tan having a Sushi festival. All were having some kind of late-night party, except Pravda, who were training and working from the moment they got back on their carrier.

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

The carrier set of the morning after the pre-tournament selection, the carriers set off one by one. Ark Royal was one of the first to leave with St. Gloriana having their match against Bonpole High first due to their number being 1. It was mid-morning and nearly lunch time when people started entering the garages. Today the first two Chieftains were to be tested to make sure they were working properly. Five of the engineers were already dressed in their tankers overalls and berets as they were taking out the Centurion ARV that had been brought along in case of knocked out or broken-down tanks to save the recovery trucks which would struggle with the more modern and heavier tanks.

The two Chieftains being tested were already on the hard area in front of the garages and had a crowd around each of them. It wasn't just a test of the tanks, it was also a demonstration to the girls from St. Gloriana to show the power of the new tanks. The Churchill and the Centurion Mk.7 were already out on the practice ranges to act as targets. The Mk.5/2 Centurion was also ready to go onto the ranges along with the Chieftains, but was still in the garages.

"Morning skipper! How are you this morning?" Shouted the Chief Engineer.

"Better thank you. Was last night your idea Chief?"

"You know better than to ask me that skipper. I would never do a thing like that."

"If you know what it was Chief, then of course it was you.

"I see you've had your tea this morning then seen as you can figure that out."

Those who were old enough the night before had gone out to one of the pubs on the school ship to drink to hopeful victory during the upcoming tournament, with one or two other reasons that were not mentioned. Though no one got drunk, most were at least slightly tipsy.

"Evening skipper, 'ow's you this morning then?"

"Just fine thank you. You both want to crew with me today? Gets you both out and off the side-lines."

"Oh no skipper, we're fine thank you."

"You're doing it, and that's final. Sore 'ead or not."

"You want one of my lads to drive? Might be best considering, even though you will all be sober by now."

"I suppose that's a good idea chief."

"Who's crewing the other tanks then skip?"

"Some of the girls are crewing the Mk.7 Cent and Churchill, and I'm sure we can get them to crew the other Chieftain as well to give them a feel for it."

"Shall we get the other usual motley crew together for the Mk.5/2?"

"Sounds good to me. Go find them and let them know then be back here quick."

"Right o skipper."

"Do they work Chief?"

"We got them out here didn't we?"

"True enough, get your driver over there then and we'll start now. I think the girls are getting bored at just looking at the tanks now."

It took a few minutes to get all the crews sorted and in their tanks. The other Chieftain was crewed with Assam being the gunner and commanding the tank, Orange Pekoe as the loader and the Cranberry from Rosehips Crusader squad driving. They decided not to have a commander in any of the other tanks as they weren't needed for test firing, or a gunner while driving around.

The two Chieftains started up together. The throaty roar of its engine soon changed to a high-pitched screaming noise characteristic of the Leyland L60. Everyone cringed at the noise as it sounded like someone was being horrifically tortured.

"I think our tank might be broken." Cranberry said over her intercom.

"No miss, that is the sound it makes. It's not a pretty, or even nice sounding, but hopefully it will work properly. Problem is you can never tell because of the noise it makes." Replied Ben from the other Chieftain.

Both Chieftains moved off one after the other, once their engines had warmed up sufficiently, and headed to the training grounds. Rosehip was following in her Saladin, which had a camera fixed on the top to record everything so everyone could watch from outside the garages on a screen that had been erected outside.

It took them 15 minutes to get to where the Churchill and Centurion Mk.7 were parked, and a further 5 minutes to get into position. Thankfully the engines had held together and were running perfectly.

"Ready when you are, just say when you want us to start Mr. Caine."

"Right O guvnor, we're ready here now, so you may start when you are ready, I think I'll leave the commentary to Lady Grey seen as she knows most of the young ladies, and they will be able understand her better than me anyway."

* * *

Earl Grey went on to talk about the Chieftain and its advantages, and how its armour layout and the fact that it had no gun mantle was quite revolutionary at the time. She explained about the gun and how it was more powerful than even that of the 105mm gun on the Centurions. "As an example, to which you can all understand, the Churchill is about 500 yards away from the Chieftain. Usually at this range, it is impervious to almost everything fired at it."

* * *

On a command, the Chieftain fired, rocking the tank and sending the round towards the stationary Churchill. Needless to say, it knocked it out without trouble, rocking it and knocking it back a few meters.

* * *

"As you can see, it has no problem dealing with the Churchill. It is the same with the later Centurions. At this range, the 105mm gun can struggle to knock out the Centurion, especially if it is on a slope like it is now."

* * *

The Centurion Mk.5/2 sat next to the Chieftain, fired at the Mk.7, its round glancing of its armour. The Chieftain fired next, the loud report of its gun was a clear difference to the girls watching the screen, even from the distance they were from it. The round knocked out the Centurion just as well as it had the Churchill.

* * *

Darjeeling had just come to the garages and was asking the Chief Engineer how things were getting on while watching the screen and listening to her older sister explaining everything to the girls.

"Now, the armour. If in a proper position, the Chieftain should only have its upper hull armour at the most, and only its turret showing if done properly. The upper hull, because of the way it is sloped and shaped, should always ricochet any round being fired at it. The turret is sort of the same, except that it is a lot thicker, and so can shrug of incoming rounds like the Churchill. The Mk.2 Chieftain shall now fire at the Mk.5 to show the effectiveness of the armour.

* * *

"Brace yourselves lads, this is going to give our 'eads a good pounding." Alex and Ben both ducked down somewhat to cover their ears to try and avoid the worst of the noise that was about to engulf them.

Assam moved her gun and turret controls to center the sights on the side of the Chieftains turret, finding the controls a bit quicker than what she was used to on the Churchill. She fired, aiming a bit higher than she wanted to. The shot flew through the air, its tracer showing its path. It hit just below the gunner's optics and rocking the tank with the force of the impact. There loud groans from inside the turret from pounding heads, as was expected.

* * *

"As you can see, the tank isn't knocked out, and you have all seen what that gun can do."

"Somethings not right." The Chief Engineer said to himself.

"Chief, is there smoke coming from the commanders hatch?" One of the engineers asked.

"How can there be smoke? There can't be any internal damage with the special armour and ammunition used." Another engineer said. "It's probably just heat haze or smoke dust from the round hitting that's all."

"No, that's smoke."

* * *

"Any chance of a damage report up there? My electrics aren't working down here." Said the temporary driver.

There was a series of cough's, then Ben replied. "Turret drives out, checking sights. Christ, the sights are shattered. That's not good. 'ey Skipper." He turned around in his seat to face him. "Skipper?"

"Aye, I think the sight bracket shattered and * _cough*_ blew the glass and the bracket inside. Its shredded the electrics around us, we need the ARV over 'ere to get us back."

"You all right skipper?" Ben asked and noticed a wet stain on his overalls above where his had was clasped. There was red between his fingers.

"Oh Christ. GET THAT ARV OVER HERE NOW!"

* * *

The Chief Engineer ran to the nearest vehicle and got on the radio. "Skipper can you hear me? There is smoke coming from your tank, I want a damage report NOW!" There was no answer. He tried again, still with no reply. "Assam, what's going on over there?"

" _I don't know, what is supposed to be going on?"_

"There is smoke coming from the other Chieftain and we are getting no reply, go over there and find out."

" _Ok. Rosehip, go over to the other Chieftain and see what's going on, there is no response from them and there is smoke coming from inside. Be careful!"_

* * *

Rosehips Saladin raced towards the stricken Chieftain and she jumped out, running towards the loaders hatch and saw Alex climbing out.

"What's happening? There is smoke coming from your tank, why aren't you responding?"

"Help me out of here. Our radios aren't working, our electrics are gone. I need to use your radio and fast."

* * *

"Anyone near the Chieftain please respond. What's going on?"

" _Chief, the round shattered the sight bracket, It and some of the glass inside has spalled and has severed some of the wires and shorted the electrics. Brad's took a piece of it. We need help here right now. We are unable to move, we have shock damage throughout the tank I think. Engine was working but we've shut it down. We need that ARV over here as soon as."_

"We'll be right with you. Just hold on in there. I'll send it going to you now."

"What's going on?" Asked Darjeeling curiously, with a slight hint of nervousness.

"Nothing for you to worry about Miss, there has just been a slight problem with the electrics in the tank so they are a bit stuck. Mind if I borrow your Dingo to go see them?" He was heading towards it without waiting for a reply.

"Yes, of course, do you want me to…"

"No Miss, I think its best you stay here. You lot, get the ARV over to that Chieftain now, and hurry it up." He started the engine and then sped off towards where the tanks were.

Earl Grey had been talking throughout the whole commotion, but had just noticed people rushing around in the garages, and looked over to Andy who was operating the radio for her, he was trying furiously to contact the crew of the Chieftain as he hadn't heard anything, and heard Alex's report from Rosehips Saladin.

"We have a slight problem here Lady Grey. Its been properly knocked out. I think one of them is hurt as well."

"Oh god. Find out who and quickly." She looked over at Darjeeling who was just milling about like everyone else who didn't know what was going on, but knew _something_ was going on. "And whoever it is, get the 432 over there, they are probably going to need it, and let's hope that our medics are good."

"From what I can gather its Brad. I think something has been damaged inside their tank and he took some of it." Earl Grey was already running towards where the FV432 was parked in the Garages. It had fold down racks for stretchers and was used as an ambulance both back when it was used, and now.

* * *

The Chief Engineer was there within 5 minutes and was soon followed by the FV432 and Earl Grey. The Centurion ARV was already there, its crew already helping Brad out of the turret and onto the ground. The two appointed medics in the 432 took over and started looking him over, leaving the engineers to sort out the Chieftain. "How is he?" Earl Grey asked Ben, who had been helping him from the start.

"I don't know. He took something to the stomach area, part of the sight or a piece of metal probably. I don't know 'ow bad it is, I couldn't get 'is 'and away to look, you know 'ow stubborn he is, although it was probably best. 'is overalls were soaked and 'is 'and was dripping a bit. I 'ope it's not the worst, it doesn't seem it, but it is quite bad."

The medics had gotten him onto a stretcher and were loading him onto one of the racks.

"Right, you go with him, and Alex. I'll go too. You ok to sort things here Chief?"

"Im fine here, go get him to the sorted."

The FV432 left quickly in a cloud of dust, not holding back over the rough ground, and the recovery operation started on the stricken Chieftain, with the Engineers looking at what went wrong.

* * *

Darjeeling was milling about, hoping to catch any bits of conversation that told her what was happening. She went up to the screen and headed to where Andy was sat at the radio. "What's going on, no-one has told me anything except one of the tanks isn't working, but there is more than that."

"Forgive me for asking Miss Darjeeling, but are you a smitten with our commander?"

"Why do you ask that?" Darjeeling asked, blushing slightly.

"I think he is towards you, and I'm sure you are towards him."

"What does that matter if we are or not? I want to know what's going on now. And for the record, no, I'm not." Darjeeling said angrily.

"The commander has been taken to hospital. He was hit by some spalling and isn't in the best of shape."

"What?" Darjeeling said, taken aback, and visibly so.

"Do you want me to take you there, I don't think I'm needed here now?"

"Yes. Yes please do."

* * *

 **Well, this chapter took a lot longer than I expected. I have finally started the preparations for the tournament, which will start in chapter 7, with chapter 6 being the travelling and arriving. I hope I haven't crammed too much into one chapter, this being the longest one yet, so I hope it is still enjoyable.**


	6. Chapter 6- Preparations

**Chapter 6**

 **Preparations**

 _ **Kiev**_

"You are doing well comrades. Much better than before. Just keep this up and we will surely win. Kuromorimine has easy battles ahead of it so we will surely meet them in the finals."

"What about St. Gloriana? They can get some powerful tanks later on and could be a threat. Also remembering Kuromorimine can use other schools' tanks as well, and they will more than likely beat Saunders and use their tanks."

"So, what is so special about their tanks Pasha?"

"St. Gloriana will probably get Challenger's, and we have been told that their armour is some of the strongest out there, Kuromorimine will use Leopards with their famous Rheinmetall guns, and Saunders will use the Abram's, which uses the Challenger's armour and the Leopards gun, although they will stand out like a sore thumb with their tan coloured paint."

"And what about our tanks? Remember that we have the best of everything. They will not stand up to us, you must have faith Pasha. By the time we meet Kuromorimine we will have our most advanced tanks, and you know how powerful they are if you listened to your teachings in school."

"So, instead of talking to each other, why don't you tell me what our line-up for the first stage is?" Katyusha asked.

"Oh, of course comrade Katyusha, my apologies." Berkyin turned to Katyusha. "We will be using a number of different tanks, from light to heavy. Our mainstay will be the T-55, of which we will have 6 of. To support them we will have 2 T-10M heavy tanks. As our scout we shall use the PT-76, which is also amphibious so it can get anywhere we want. Our last tank will be a shock to our opponents. It is the Object 268. Based on the hull of the T-10 and is armed with the biggest gun of the tournament. A 152mm M64 Howitzer/Anti-Tank cannon. It will smash any enemy tank into oblivion."

"Comrade, what about our secret weapon? I thought we were using that to guarantee victory?"

"Ahh, yes. I don't think I said. Remember what you were saying about St. Gloriana? Well, we want to make sure they lose, so we lent it to our comrades in Bonpole High. There is no way they can defeat that tank."

"Comrade Berkyin, what secret weapon are you on about?"

"It is called the Object 279. It is a tank with 4 tracks, a hull that is oval in shape with no straight or flat surfaces, so no armour piercing or shaped charge round can go through it. It is completely invincible, even to High Explosive. It was Comrade Katyusha's idea to lend it to Bonpole. I think she has other things going on as well, am I right?"

"We now have some allies in the form of Bonpole high and a few other schools, and we will all try to work together somewhat. As for St. Gloriana, I have been trying to un-nerve their commander for a while, ever since she made me lose my tank in the joint match against Ooarai and Chi-Ha-Tan. My work is being carried on there as we speak, and last time I heard, it was going well. One last push, and she should leave, or be forced out, and if the provocateur of that gets expelled as well, she will be more than welcome here."

"She certainly will, I haven't told her all my secrets for nothing. I shall make it worth her while staying here. Temporarily at least, but even if she fails, she will be brou... more than happy to come to Pravda, and we will have a get together for... debriefing shall we say."

"Berkyin!"

"It has all been worked out Pavel Leonidovich, so calm yourself and keep out of what does not concern you." Berkyin smirked.

Katyusha was also smirking in her seat, while in the group of Pravda girls, Klara looked on horrified, and upset.

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

It was warm in the room, and the sun outside was almost at its highest, shining down through the windows, leaving a small pool of light below the curtains. Darjeeling was sat in a chair in the corner of the room near the window half asleep. She drank the tea that was on a table beside her, making her more awake realising what time it was. She got up and picked up her jacket that she had had round her, ready to leave when she heard a noise coming from the bed next to her. She looked over and smiled. "Your awake then. The others were right in saying that you didn't get up until almost afternoon. The doctor's thought you were out cold for a long time and didn't believe us when we said you were sleeping."

"And your telling me you didn't tell the doctors to make me sleep by putting aesthetic through me or something? Because don't tell me you di… Arrgghh." Brad winced with pain. "I take it you didn't then because this bloody 'urts. And why are yo… Oh, Miss Darjeeling, I'm sorry, I didn't think it was you stood there." He started to sit up more in his bed. "I just saw the white shirt and thought it was one of…"

"Don't get up please, you shouldn't put too much pressure or over exert yourself. I just took my jacket of as it was rather warm in here, I can put it back on if you want?"

"No no, you don't have to, I just didn't see who it was that was all. And, could I ask a favour seen as I'm not allowed to move?" He asked with humour in his voice.

"Of course, just ask, anything I can do I will."

"Well, its not that big, but could you open the window please, I'm sweating buckets under these blankets. Who put so many on I don't know but they aren't 'elping any."

"I think I am able to do that, yes." She walked over to the window and opened the curtains and the window, letting air in, and also turning the radiator off, which was on full.

"How long have you been 'ere?" He asked more seriously.

"Oh, not long. I came in to see how you were. I just hope it won't be too long. You're… you're a good commander, and I need your skills in the upcoming match. It'll be a few weeks from now."

"You've left your pillow on the chair, as well as quite an indent. I often wonder if these chairs are meant to be that soft so you can tell 'ow long someone has been sat in them."

"I think its more that they are so soft as to encourage people to stay… And thank you, I might have forgotten it." Darjeeling walked over to a table at the back of the room opposite the bed as something on the table caught her eye.

"I think its me who should be saying thank you, for staying with me. I should have checked everything the other night..." He paused, thinking, then carried on. "If you 'ave a minute, there's something I really want to sa…"

"Evening skipper! Thought you might be awake round about this time. 'ow's you doing then eh? All up and ready to go back out yet?" The door was thrown open by the arrival of Ben and Alex, along with Assam.

Brad sighed and closed his eyes, with a tired smile on his face. "Guy's, seriously? I would appreciate it if you didn't just barge in like that. Could you even just do a polite knock or cough just loud enough to hear?"

"Hey, sorry skipper, but you should be up and running outside. I 'ope our 'painkiller' did some good last night, you seem to be still slightly affected by it."

"Yes, liquid courage I take it? It certainly 'elps in some situations. Just a shame there are other factor's that take them moments away."

"You see, we've helped you along again. Now, seen as you've been up and sleeping in that chair, we'll get you out of 'ere. Oh 'ang on a minute, I see you've been using someone else's pillow eh? Maybe we should…"

Brad made a slight polite cough, stopping the others in their tracks. "Maybe you should just be quiet and forget about it?"

"I see. Well if that's the way you want it, maybe ill go and get the fragments they got out of you and put them back in eh? I got told they were ov… OH! Miss Darjeeling, my apologies, I didn't realise you were 'ere. When did you come to visit? We got told visiting times weren't open till now and we've been waiting outside for the last 10 minutes for them to let us in."

"I never left. I fell asleep not long after you went yesterday."

"Oh, I see. So… Wait, skipper, before, did you mean... Were you?"

"How is training going? I can 'ear them practicing."

"Oh perfectly fine skipper. Not a thing to worry about. Everyone is doing fantastically well."

"Wait a second." Darjeeling interrupted after thinking for a second. "If I'm here, and you lot are here as well. Who is in charge over there?"

"That would be Miss Rosehip and our Chief Engineer. You know Miss Rosehip is sta…"

"Oh gods strewth… You've left them two in command?"

"Yes, Rosehip knows what she is doing, and the Chief just wants to get in one of the tanks and join in. He isn't though, probably. Rosehip is starting to look up to 'im as a sort of farther figure now, seen as he does act the oldest and most sensible and wise out of all of us."

Darjeeling went over to the chair she was sleeping in and got her pillow, then started to walk out, dropping something on the bed without noticing, then started to drag the others out. "Come on, we need to get over there before she goes mental and starts tearing up the ship. Now you, rest, and you lot, out."

"Well, nice seeing you skipper! Hopefully we'll be back round soon to see 'ow you're getting on bye skipper get well soon and no we won't be breaking you out of 'ere." Their voices tailed off as Darjeeling pushed them all out of the room. Brad picked up what Darjeeling had dropped and noticed it was a note with his name on. He read it, struggling to read through the tail end of his semi drunkenness from the brandy that had been given to him the previous day in place of anaesthetic. Once he had read it, he tucked the note away under his pillow, and smiled.

* * *

"I'm surprised at you most of all Assam, leaving Rosehip in charge over there. You are the last person I expected to leave her seen as you don't trust her fully." Darjeeling said, walking quickly through the hospital corridors to the exit.

"I know, I'm sorry, I should have thought on more. Oww, oh, carry on, just give me a minute, I'll catch up, I've just twisted my ankle."

"Are you ok?" Alex stopped to ask and help Assam.

"Yes, there is nothing wrong, I have something to ask you."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Are you doing anything later?"

"No, I can't think of anything, why?"

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to go out. On a proper date?"

"I'm sure I can fit that in somewhere or other. May I recommend a place to go?"

"Because you already have somewhere booked, and you were going to ask me the same thing at some point?"

"I take it I can't keep any secrets from you, even if I haven't told anyone else."

"No, you can't."

They both smiled and laughed, then ran to catch up with the others, trying to not look suspicious, but were failing. Darjeeling was pleased they had chosen tonight to go on their date, even though she hadn't been told they were going on one.

* * *

 _ **Graf Zeppelin**_

The M48 skidded round the knocked out M47, its gunner keeping the turret turning and the gun pointing where another M47 was going to appear. It drifted into view, the crosshairs aimed squarely at its turret ring, and the gun fired, the shot hitting exactly where it was aimed, the target popping its white flag. Another round was pushed into the breech, and the tank and turret were turning left as quickly as they could go, the tracks almost tearing off. The two guns met, and both fired at the same time, each round hitting its target, with both tanks popping their white flag.

"You did well to come around that quick Miho, but you should have looked around before you committed to flanking the other tank. You were very lucky." Erika said to Miho over the tank's radios.

" _Hai_ , you were well camouflaged sitting behind the tree's, and you weren't where I thought you were. And yes, I was lucky." Miho smiled, looking through her cupola at Erika's tank, noticing where her shell had ricocheted up and into the turret ring, where as her tank had a neat hole where Erika's shell stuck out square in the front of her turret. "Well done everyone, you did your best. At least we don't have to worry about our school closing if we lose this time."

"Its only a practice match, so don't get downhearted Mhio-san" Hana reassured her.

"Now we are with Kuromorimine we are part of the best school competing in the tournament, so we can only get better and better, and we will win as Kuromorimine always does!"

"I think Yukari is on a Panzer high again." Mako said sleepily from the driver's seat.

"They always win unless I have something to do with it." Mhio said, subdued and thinking of her last two matches both with and against Kuromorimine.

"Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, why don't you think about me cramped down here instead. I'll look a mess when I get out of here. How am I supposed to get a boyfriend looking like this? Its hard enough to operate the radio which is up there." Saori moaned from the bottom of the tank, just behind and to the right of Mako in a hastily installed chair, with the radio moved to where her feet were, as the M48 was only designed for a crew of four, and not wanting to split one of them away from the rest of the crew, they had tried to find a space somewhere to install a seat and the radio for Saori to continue using. Her moaning drew a laugh from everyone else at the right time though.

"There is more room in the next tanks we can use, we can fit you in next to Mako if we take out some shells." Yukari said as they were all climbing out the tank, an easy task for everyone, except Saori. She emerged with her jacket and shirt creased and crumpled, riding half way up her body, and her skirt pulled up as if it was shortened. Her appearance drew a laugh from her own and all the other tank crews standing around the front of the tank watching the spectacle, evoking a few angry words from Saori. She quickly re-dressed herself then got down and walked of with the others, while Miho walked along slightly behind everyone.

"Miho!" She stopped and turned around and saw Erika walking towards her. "What's wrong Miho? You haven't been the same these last few days. I thought you were always cheerful and energetic now?"

"It's nothing. I'm just getting used to being in Kuromorimine again, its been over a year since I left. Its just like starting a new school again for me."

"You miss Maho don't you?"

"No, it's not that its, well, yes, I do miss her. Its just not the same without _Onee-chan_ around. I.. I'm not saying that it's not good you being the commander. It's just… I… I…"

"You miss you sister, I get that. I was the same at first, and I still am sometimes. You don't miss her this much when you are at Ooarai do you? Its just the nostalgia of being here and not having her around. I do still miss her, even though I am over the worst of it, so I can understand your feelings. You have your friends from Ooarai now, they will help you through everything wont they? Not forgetting your old friends from Kuromorimine, especially Koume who is the most pleased that you are here. Except me of course."

Miho smiled at Erika "Thank you. It means a lot, especially coming from you Erika-san."

"I won't take that the wrong way Miho, I know I wasn't the nicest person to you before." They carried on walking for a bit before Miho spoke up.

"Erika-san?"

"Yes?"

"Onee-chan said that you two were close…"

"Yes, we were good friends as commander and vice commander."

"Closer than just friends. At least that's what she thought. Were you?"

Erika was blushing slightly when she answered. "Yes, I suppose we were, but nothing serious. I think we just liked each other a bit more than most people do, which is why I found it quite hard when she left. But now, yes, I suppose I do still feel something towards her, but I am taken now. And not a word to anyone else Miho. Understood?"

" _Hai!_ " Miho said cheerfully.

* * *

 **HMS** _ **Ark Royal**_

The night drew in quickly for most people. It was a cloudless clear sky and the star's and moon shone brightly, but that was set to change in a few hours. There wasn't much activity on the carrier, with most people staying indoors. In the garage sleeping area, there was a buzz of activity, with a small group gathered around one person.

"So, 'ow do I look?" Alex stood there in his best uniform, the same one he wore when he first met Assam, just cleaned and pressed to perfection.

"Just splendid. Good enough for a night out at the Ritz I should think."

"Well, I suppose it is good enough then."

"Where you meeting her then? Are you picking her up or meeting her there?"

"Meeting her there, she was going to ask if she could borrow Darjeeling's Dingo."

"How come you didn't tell us sooner? Or were you going to try and keep it a secret? Its not like we didn't expect it with how close you two have been almost since the minute we got onboard."

"Probably because you would have found out if I had have kept it a secret. Plus telling you this late makes sure that there isn't time to sabotage it or do anything stupid either."

"Well, you got us there I suppose. Now come on and hurry up. You want to get there before her don't you, it isn't good to keep a lady waiting is it?"

"Come on, you can borrow Lady Grey's Ferret, it needs a test run anyway after I've tinkered with it as she requested. I'll even drive you there."

"Thanks Chief. You sure she won't mind?"

"Somehow I'm sure she'll be dead pleased to have you go in it. Come on then, let's get you there sharpish."

Alex got into the Ferret, which had been thoroughly cleaned and was practically sparkling. They motored of quickly, leaving everyone behind laughing and jeering. Unbeknown to Alex, on the back of the Ferret, was a board which had painted letters saying, 'Date Taxi'.

* * *

"Are you sure this is fine?"

"You look just perfect Assam. I'm sure what your wearing doesn't matter that much if you both truly like each other."

"If I thought he didn't, I wouldn't have asked him, and if he didn't, he wouldn't have been about to ask me. Are you sure none of the others know?"

"I don't see any love hearts or messages written on my Dingo, so I shouldn't think so. Although they will find out if they go over to the garages and see the others."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm going to get some rest here before you come back, then as promised I'm going to stay with you and the others for the night. Are you ready yet?"

"Yes, but at least let me sort out my other uniform first."

"I'll sort that out when I get back. Come on, you don't want to be late now. If he has any sense of decency, he will be there before you get there and have your table ready for you both, so you don't want to keep him waiting too long do you?"

"Ok, lets go then. Will you bring it round later at least?"

"Yes, I will. Now please hurry up. I don't want you to be late."

Darjeeling and Assam left Darjeeling's room and headed out to where her Dingo was parked and got in it. They headed off to the restaurant and got there just on time. Assam jumped out, thanking Darjeeling, then headed on inside. Darjeeling turned her Dingo around and drove quickly back to her room, before leaving and heading straight back out.

* * *

"You look good tonight."

"Thank you, so do you."

"Shall we sit down?"

"Yes. I don't think we want to be stood around, here do we?"

They both sat down at the table they were shown to by the waiter and ordered their drinks and looked through the menu.

"Did I mention you look beautiful this evening, if you don't mind me saying that is."

Assam blushed at that comment, as it caught her off guard coming out of the blue.

"Well… Th… Thank you."

"Have you decided what you would like?"

"Yes, I think I'll have the Beef Wellington. What about you?"

"I'm going to have the pasta dish they serve 'ere. And your starter?"

"Oh, I'll have the soup of the day."

They called the waiter over and ordered their food and started talking about themselves more.

"What got you into tankery then?"

"Well, I've always been into 'istory, and as with every boy hood dream, I wanted to drive a tank. Me and a couple of others decided to try and start up a tankery club, just like you have here. I think they gave us the money to do it just so we stopped pestering them. We started with some ex British Army light tanks that we got for cheap and converted them to shoot paintballs. Then eventually we got more members and started to expand, buying a few other tanks, before eventually getting recognised as an official sport and got a large grant from the National Lottery. We got custom tanks made, just like yours are, and then we could finally use them properly."

"What's your favourite tank then?"

"It would have to be the Cromwell. 'ow about you?"

"Mine is the A30 Challenger. I would explain how our Sensha-do selective started, but I'm sure you already know, and it would take too long, but I joined for similar reasons to you. Its not often you meet someone who likes the things we do."

They talked for a little more before their food arrived, and then settled down to eat.

* * *

There was a quiet knock on the door, then it opened a little, before it was opened then shut quickly.

"How are you feeling tonight?" Darjeeling asked

"Sore."

"You've still got feeling then, that's good. Did you get my note earlier?"

"Yes, I did."

"Do you want to? The others seem to not want you to?"

"Of course, I do. I want to get out of here, but the others won't help me, and I've got no chance on my own. The docs said I just need rest, and not to put too much strain on it, but I can't lie 'ere any longer. If I do, I think I'll go insane. I'm just too much of a cripple to attempt it myself otherwise I would have already."

"Right then. Here's how we're going to do it."

She explained what was going to happen for the next few minutes, talking through and explaining everything.

"You must be joking?"

"No, now hurry up. They change the shift in a minute, and then I'll have to leave as that's as long as I've been given."

"Do you really think that dummy will fool them? They'll come looking for me as soon as they realise, I've gone. Can't you just pull some strings to get me out normally?"

"No, I can't unfortunately, but it wouldn't be as fun that way either would it? Plus, it got me in here. It totally fooled the doctor we passed on the way in."

A few minutes later, a doctor walking down the hallway going of his shift saw Darjeeling and Assam approaching again. "Assam looks even more drunk than before. But thank you for leaving when I said and keeping the noise down."

"Thank you for letting us in, I didn't want her shouting through the streets saying she wanted to see him, so I had to ask. Goodnight Doctor." Once outside, Darjeeling helped Brad into her Dingo, and then drove of back towards her room.

* * *

"Dinner was lovely tonight. Thank you."

"No, Thank you. I just wished I 'ad 'ave asked earlier, but you were just too quick."

"It has been a wonderful night though. I haven't enjoyed myself quite like that in a long time."

They walked along the outer edge of the ship arm in arm, periodically looking down at the sea below them. They had been walking for some time now, having left the restaurant about an hour beforehand after finishing their 3-course meal.

"It's a wonderful night tonight isn't it?" Assam asked.

"Yes, it most certainly is."

"I have always liked the way the stars seem to shine brighter at sea than on land. Can we stop for a minute? My legs are starting to hurt from all this walking."

"Of course, there is a bench just up ahead."

They walked up to the bench and sat down next to each other, holding hands, and sat there for a minute looking out to sea.

"You seem to want to help your commander a lot, trying to put him and Darjeeling together."

"Well, he hasn't had the best history regarding relationships."

"Oh, have they not one well?"

"No, its not that, its just… He hast had any really."

"Oh, I see. You didn't calculate properly how it would turn out then did you?"

"No, I'm not as good as calculating things as you, I just thought it would have worked. And as you say, I just couldn't calculate what would happen, same as I didn't see it coming that you would ask me on a date."

"Can you calculate my next move?" Assam asked, before leaning over and gave Alex a peck on the lips. They both moved closer before and shared a long kiss together, their hands grasped one another's tighter.

* * *

Half an hour later, the said goodbye to each other, going their own separate ways to be taken back. With Alex being returned by Earl Grey to the cheers of the waiting crowd, while Assam was picked up by Darjeeling as promised and taken back to her room where Rosehip, Orange Pekoe and Rukuriri were waiting for them to get back. Almost simultaneously, in two separate rooms, the same question was asked:

"So, what happened?"

* * *

 **Just a short one this time, not much else to say other than the next chapter, the tournament will start properly, with the first match being St. Gloriana vs Bonpole High. And thank you to the recent followers, and everyone who is reading this and sticking with it.**


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